


Anything Essential is Invisible to the Eyes

by Keats18



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-09-30
Packaged: 2018-11-30 05:44:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 25,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11457207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keats18/pseuds/Keats18
Summary: Once upon a time there was a girl named Ashlyn who was mistaken for a man and brought to work for Prince Kyle of the royal Kriegers. Ashlyn finds it difficult to keep up this mistaken identity and many mishaps ensue as well as a close bond with one Princess Ali. Will Ashlyn be able to keep up this charade? Or will she be found out?





	1. Welcome to your new home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so here goes my first fic ever! I've really wanted to write this for a long time so I'm finally doing it. I have most of the story written out, I just need to do a lot of heavy editing. I promise I won't abandon this one! Enjoy!

“Once upon a time there was a beautiful kingdom ruled by a stern king and his loving and kind queen. They had a son, Prince Kyle, who was the most handsome bachelor in all the land. The royal couple would hold balls and invite princesses from far and wide to find their beloved son a wife. Many princesses tried, but none could succeed in winning over the prince. Eventually the king and queen stopped throwing the balls, never being able to find a princess worthy enough for their prince.”

“Guy can’t even keep a manservant!”

“You’re ruining the story Jack!”

Ashlyn chuckled to herself and took another long swig of her mead. As per usual the barmaids were making up stories and discussing the rumors that had trickled down from the castle. The rumors lately had been that any manservant to the prince couldn’t last more than a week without quitting. The reasons why were never clear. Some said because the prince was a huge narcissist. Others said it was because the prince took a little too much interest in his servants. Whatever the real reason, Ashlyn was always entertained to hear what people had to say every time another servant left. 

“Would you like another dear?” One of the barmaids had broken off from the gossiping group and came to lean her chest over the table Ashlyn was sitting at.

Ash leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs, placing her worn boots on the chair across from her.

“Just one today, thanks.” She replied with a smile.

The barmaid was about to clear the empty tankard from the table when Ashlyn placed a hand on the girls hand.

“For you” Ashlyn said with a smile, leaving a coin in the barmaid’s hand.

“You’re too good to us Ash. Such a gentleman.” The busty girl smiled and winked as she walked away.

Ashlyn took a moment to enjoy the rest of the banter spilling over from the group of barmaids and Jack the local drunk, before gathering her satchel and stepping out into the street. As she stepped out into the sun she stretched having been sitting for a while. It was a beautiful day for a walk, so she figured she would take the long way home.

As she was walking she passed her reflection in a piece of plate armor. She stopped to look over her slender frame. She hiked up her pants and adjusted her belt around her plain colored tunic. These clothes had definitely seen better days she thought, coming across another small hole that was forming at the pocket of her pants. She adjusted the dark brown cap atop her blonde head of hair and carried on her way.

Being relatively tall for a woman made it easy for her to get away with dressing like a man. The tone in her muscles made it that much easier to pass, and to find good work. She could never see herself doing women’s work. Besides, women were barely paid even half of what a man was, and surviving on her own was already next to impossible with the small income she generated doing odd jobs here and there. She had a pretty respectable reputation in the village, always willing to lend a hand, no matter who asked.

Ashlyn whistled as she walked through the streets, hands in her pockets. As she was strolling past an alley a very muscular figure came running out. Unable to avoid the blonde, the figure crashed into her knocking her back on her ass.

“Hey, watch where you’re going!” Ashlyn chided.

“Oh my god sorry!” The burly figure apologized in a much softer and higher pitched voice than Ashlyn would have expected.

She looked up to see who knocked her over, and for some reason his face looked familiar. He was wearing far too clean clothes to be a regular villager. He was dressed similarly to Ash except his clothes were much nicer looking and he sported a leather vest over his tunic. The nicely dressed man extended his hand to help Ashlyn up, who was still studying his face trying to think if she had seen him before.

“Do I know you?” She asked brushing off dirt from her pants.

“Uhh…no I don’t think so.” He said evading her eyes.

Ashlyn shrugged then stuck her hand out for the man to shake. “I’m Ash.”

The man gripped it firmly and shook. “I’m Kyle.”

Ashlyn laughed. “Isn’t that the prince’s name?”

“Yes, yes it is.” Kyle laughed dropping Ashlyn’s hand and taking a moment to scan the area.

His gaze came back to the blonde and he looked her up and down, eyes slightly narrowed.

“Do you have a job Ash?” he asked.

“Nothing steady but I do little odd jobs here and there. It gets me by.” She shoved her hands back into her pockets. “Why do you ask?”

Kyle put his arm around Ashlyn’s shoulder and began to walk with her.

“How would you like to work for me? My last guy quit after two days and I’m kind of desperate to find someone else before my parents decide to intervene again.” he explained rolling his eyes at the latter.

“Your parents?” Ashlyn looked at the burly man inquisitively.

“Yeah, it’s not important though.” He released Ashlyn and stood in front of her again.

“So what do you say? The pay is really good, you’ll be fed, housed, and we’ll get you some new clothes.” He pitched, gesturing to the woman’s holy pants, stained shirt, and worn boots.

“What exactly would I be doing?” Ashlyn was intrigued.

It sounded too good to be true.

Kyle laughed and put his arm around her again.

“How about I just show you.” He avoided further explanation.

The burly brunette led Ashlyn to the outer stables and went in to talk to the stable boy.

“I’d like my horse please and do you have any horses for hire for my friend over here?” he gestured towards the blonde.

The boy nodded and went to retrieve Kyle’s horse and one for Ashlyn.

“Oh I don’t really have any-“ She attempted to reject the horse but Kyle cut her off with his hand.

“It’s okay I got it.” he smiled.

Ashlyn was taken a back. He had the brightest smile she had ever seen. How were his teeth so white? She watched as he pulled a small purse from his pocket and paid the stable boy for the horse. There must have been at least a year’s pay worth of money in that purse she thought. Kyle brought the horses over and handed the reins of Ashlyn’s to her before climbing up onto his own.

“Follow me!” He commanded cheerily.

Ashlyn climbed into the saddle and trailed behind her new friend.

_________________________________________________________________________________

As they approached their destination, Ashlyn’s eyes grew wide with realization.

“Holy Shit.” She muttered to herself.

The pair rode through the forest up to a large metal gate that was opened when they reached it. Ashlyn rode up next to Kyle and turned to him, her eyes practically bugging out of her head.

“You’re the prince?!” She exclaimed, feeling rather stupid for not having put the pieces together sooner.

Kyle laughed at her surprised expression and simply shrugged.

“Holy Shit!” She said again this time loud enough for Kyle to hear.

He looked over at the blonde, hoping that she wasn’t about to bail.

“So this job,” She started, “Is this that manservant job everyone has been talking about?”

“Manservant?” Kyle made a disgusted face at the word.

“I mean I guess that would be the term for it, but it sounds rather awful.” Kyle laughed.

“Um Kyle I don’t think I’m really what you’re looking for…” Ashlyn remembered that she was still dressed like a man, and Kyle thought she really was one.

“Nonsense!” He waved her off. “You seem really laid back and like a hard worker, I’m sure my parents will love you!”

“The King and Queen?!” Ashlyn yelped, forgetting that of course the prince was the son of the queen and king and lived in the castle with them.

“Kyle I really really don’t-“ She was cut off again as they had reached the front of the castle and Kyle had already dismounted and was commanding the servants to take their horses to the stables.

He was already at the large front doors by the time Ashlyn had climbed down from her horse. She ran to catch up to the prince, still trying to explain to him that she was not the man he was looking for because she was not a man at all. She had finally caught up to the prince just as he stepped into a room off of the massive front hall she had entered.

“Kyle I-“

“Mom, Dad, I’ve found my new royal valet. Meet Ash.” Kyle stepped aside to gently push the blonde forward into the room.

She gulped as she immediately bent into the most awkward bow she had ever done in her life, cursing Kyle in her head. 

“Pleased to meet you Ash.”

She looked up at the woman who greeted her. She had never seen anyone so elegantly dressed. Clearly this woman was the queen. Ashlyn felt the color drain from her cheeks and internally panicked. The queen offered her a sweet smile, equally as brilliant as the one Kyle had shown back at the stable. Ashlyn slowly stood up straight and stepped back behind Kyle in an attempt to put as much distance between her and the royal family. 

The king cleared his throat.

“Kyle, can we talk to you?” he sternly asked. 

“Alone?” he added pointedly staring Ashlyn down.

She awkwardly smiled and bowed herself out of the room.

As soon as she left, the door closed behind her and she was alone in the massive hall. She heard muffled yelling through the door, assuming it was the king by the lower register of the voice. She could only make out a few words but “peasant” stood out pretty clearly.

She wiped her sweating palms on her shirt and looked around. 

The ceiling must have been three stories high. A massive chandelier hung in the middle of the room and Ash wondered what poor soul was tasked with lighting and cleaning that every day. There was a large ornate staircase that split into two going up to a second floor balcony. As she took in the various paintings and statues in the room she began to feel very small and worthless.

She was sure even just one of the candles in the chandelier was worth more than her entire life. She didn’t belong here! What the hell was she doing?! And if she were caught? She rubbed her throat thinking about the punishment she could receive if she were caught in such a ridiculous ruse. It wasn’t her fault though. The prince had mistaken her identity and she tried to explain but he kept cutting her off. Oh god this was awful she thought. Maybe she could just leave right now and everything would be fine? No harm no foul, right?

Just as she was about to bolt for the front door a flash of purple movement on the stairs caught her attention.

She turned to look up at the most beautiful human she had ever seen. The figure was dressed in a feather light dress with sleeves that stopped at the elbow and opened up to fall lightly at the side. The bodice was a soft corset that tied in the front, accentuating a lovely feminine figure. The rest of the dress fell to the floor in gentle waves, much like the long dark hair brushed to one side framing a perfectly defined jawline and strong neck and shoulders. 

Ashlyn felt the world stop along with her breathing as she met a pair of eyes that were the color of the richest earth. The figure stopped on the stairs when she noticed the blonde watching her and offered a shy smile.

Ashlyn’s heart stopped.

She had already thought the queen and prince had the brightest smiles she had ever seen but she was mistaken. Surely this smile was in fact the most beautiful one she had ever seen. She must have been seeing a goddess because something so heavenly couldn’t possibly belong to a simple woman.

The woman resumed her descent and practically floated over to where Ashlyn stood frozen. Upon closer examination she realized that this goddess must have been the princess, because the resemblance to the queen and prince was undeniably prevalent. Ashlyn couldn’t do anything but stare, her mouth slightly open. 

The princess curtseyed and Ashlyn slowly bowed, keeping her eyes on the beautiful brunette. Just then the door flew open and Ashlyn snapped back to reality. Kyle stepped out into the hall.

“Hey Sis!” Kyle hugged his sister, then turned to Ashlyn.

“This is Ash, my new royal valet!” Kyle introduced her extravagantly, exaggerating the word royal, sparking a small laugh from the younger Krieger. 

“Hi, I’m Alexandra, but you can call me Ali.” She did a small wave and smiled again at the blonde. 

At this point Ashlyn was sure she would drop dead. The princess had the most adorably soft mumble. Ash realized she probably wasn’t breathing as much as she should be and took in an extra amount of air before speaking.

“Hi, I’m Ashly…Ash. You can call me Ash.” She amended, nearly blowing the whole thing right then and there.

“Nice to meet you!” Ali smiled again, then brushed past her brother into the room and closed the door.

Ashlyn stared at the closed door.

Kyle clapped her on the back and pulled her along with his arm around her shoulder again, sighing heavily.

“Let me show you around your new home, Ash.”


	2. Settling In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's update brought to you by spotify and lots of Mountain Dew.

“Whoa, okay hold up.” Ashlyn shrugged off Kyle’s arm and stood in front of him, putting her hands out to stop him.“What just happened?”

“You were super awkward around my sister?” Kyle offered raising an eyebrow.

“No no,” Ash shook her head, “I mean what just happened in there?” She gestured towards the door Kyle had just come through. 

“Also I was not super awkward.” The blonde crossed her arms in defense. 

She was just caught off guard by the beautiful princess she told herself.

“Mhm.” Kyle smirked. “What happened is you’re my new valet, so come on lover boy, let me show you around.” He pushed past the blonde to start the tour.

Ashlyn shook off the ‘lover boy’ comment and jogged after the prince to catch up.

“First of all, what the hell is a valet, second, I heard yelling?” 

“Oh that? Don’t worry about it. My dad is such a traditionalist and hates when we screw with the ‘order’ of things here, but mom set him straight.” Kyle waved off the concerned woman. 

“And a valet? That’s your new job. You know, the… what was it you called it? Oh yeah… manservant.” He exaggerated the word with disgust.

“oh…okay.” Ashlyn responded thoughtfully.

“So anyways,” The prince returned to his chipper mood. “Welcome to the castle! That huge room we came into was obviously the entrance hall, and the room you just met my parents in is the library. And this,” He pushed open a large set of double doors situated just to the right of the stairs the princess had descended a moment ago. 

“This is the ballroom.” 

The pair stepped into a high ceilinged room with mirrored walls and a pristine marble floor. There were large pillars placed around the perimeter and a beautifully adorned two story window that spanned the length of the entire back wall, which over looked a stone terrace.

“Wow.” Ashlyn breathed.

Her voice filled the room as if she had shouted the word. She had never seen anything so elegant. Or big. 

“Great acoustics.” Kyle commented.

“Shame it hasn’t been used in a while.” He added, making his way over to a doorway on the right.

“Oh right. Those balls to find you a wife.” The blonde stated nonchalantly.

Kyle chuckled at her random knowledge of his life. 

“What else have you heard?” he asked curiously.

“A few rumors here and there.” Ashlyn shrugged.

“Oh?” the prince was intrigued. “And what’s the latest?”

“Just that you’re a huge narcissist.”

Kyle spun around to face the blonde and raised his eyebrows incredulously.

“I mean…you know…they’re just rumors…” Ashlyn attempted to back pedal hoping she hadn’t offended her new employer.

“Uh huh.” The prince scoffed, opening the door and gesturing for Ashlyn to go first.

She stepped into a room that was filled with various swords and pieces of armor as well as what appeared to be training dummies for some sort of combat.

“Geez, do you supply the royal army out of here?” Ashlyn asked only slightly serious as she wandered around the room, examining its contents.

This received a laugh from the prince. 

“No, it’s mostly ceremonial pieces and gifts from other kings and the like.” He explained.

Ashlyn just nodded her head, running her fingers along the extravagantly decorated hilt of a broadsword that was on display.

Kyle cleared his throat loudly.

“If you’re done fondling the equipment, we can continue” he snarked.

Ashlyn quickly pulled her hand back and apologized. “Sorry…”

She followed the prince to another set of double doors directly across the ballroom from the small armory.

“This is the throne room,” he gestured to two large chairs adorned with gold at the far side of the room.

A coat of arms hung above them. This she assumed was the Krieger family crest. 

“Doesn’t really get much use either.” Kyle shrugged.

The pair continued back across the ballroom and out to the hall where they started. 

“Across from the library is the dining room where you will be eating with yours truly,” he gestured to himself, “And behind that is the kitchen and the servants quarters, but you’ll probably never set foot in there.” He continued to the stairs and started up to the second floor balcony.

“I thought I was a servant though?” Ashlyn asked confused as to why she wouldn’t be living with the other servants.

“I mean, technically yes, but you will be spending all of your time with me so you’re more like a VIP servant.” He turned to wink at the blonde as they reached the top of the stairs. 

“Alright this is important. You are not allowed to go over there ever.” Kyle pointed to a hallway that started on the right side of the second floor landing.

“Why?” Ashlyn furrowed her brows.

“Because that’s where the king and queen sleep and take care of important royal business.” He explained. “And if you’d like to keep your head, I’d suggest you steer clear.” He added with a serious look.

So they’re not above beheading. Great. Ashlyn thought, remembering her earlier fear of being found out.

“But,” Kyle started, returning to his cheerier state, “You can go pretty much anywhere else.”

They walked to the left side of the balcony and down a hall that was identical to the forbidden one on the right. Kyle continued talking as he led Ashlyn to a stone spiral staircase towards the back of the castle. 

“These are just guest rooms, and all the way to the other end of the hall is the drawing room.” He gestured back down the hallway they had just walked through.

They ascended the small staircase to a third floor and into another hallway. The prince continued to one of the wooden doors.

“Down there are a few more rooms and a bathroom,” he gestured down the hall. “That’s my room right next door, Ali’s across the way, and this,” Kyle opened the door he had been standing in front of. 

“This is your room.”

Ashlyn leaned in to get a better look. It was bigger than any room she had ever slept in. In fact it was bigger than any house she had lived in.

“seems to be a running theme.” She mumbled to herself.

“What?”

“Nothing, it’s just a lot bigger than anywhere I’ve ever lived.” She brushed past the prince and stepped into her room.

“Oh my god!” Kyle slapped his hand to his forehead, “I totally forgot you probably still have things at your house!”

“House?” Ashlyn laughed at the idea of owning an entire house and actually having things to put in said house.

Kyle raised an eyebrow at the blonde’s laughter.

“Don’t worry about it,” She started, realizing the prince wasn't in on the joke. “I don’t have a house. I don’t actually have much of anything really, just the clothes on my back and anything I can fit in my satchel.” She held up the bag slung across her chest.

“Where did you sleep then?” The prince was clearly unfamiliar with the minimalistic lifestyle of a poor peasant.

“Well recently I had been staying with a family that needed a little extra help keeping their fish stall open in the market after the husband broke his leg.” Ashlyn explained, then thoughtfully added, “Actually I should probably let them know that I wasn’t kidnapped…” Even though she basically had been kidnapped, but she kept that remark to herself.

“I’ll send someone for you. And I’ll see to it that their fish stall stays in business as well.” Kyle proclaimed, sounding like a royal for the first time since the two had met.

“Uh… thank you.” Ash was surprised at the extra kindness the prince was showing. She guessed not all the rumors she heard were true.

Kyle nodded a silent ‘you’re welcome’ at the blonde.

“So um… is there anything I can do for you, your royal highness?” Ashlyn straightened up attempting to look professional and act as she thought a royal valet might act.

She honestly had no idea.

“uh huh no. We’re not doing that.” Kyle made a face and shook his head.

Ashlyn slumped feeling like she was already failing at her new job.

“First of all, you can just call me Kyle. And second, you can take the rest of the evening to settle in and rest. We’ll get started tomorrow. You won’t really need to do too much, I’m not high maintenance.” He instructed the blonde, then amended the latter, “well at least not as high maintenance as Ali.”

Ashlyn laughed, wondering what exactly made the princess so high maintenance. As far as she could tell Ali was very kind, not exactly a trait she would associate with being high maintenance. But then again, she had never met anyone with the means to be high maintenance so really she had nothing to go on.

“Anyway! I’m gonna go see if I can find you some clothes that are in better shape to hold you over until we can buy you new ones.” Kyle pulled the door closed behind him, leaving the blonde all alone in the large room.

Her room.

She took a moment to wander around, acquainting herself with the layout. Across from the door was a small window that overlooked what appeared to be a large garden. A decent sized fireplace sat empty and cold against the wall in between the window and the door. Her very own fireplace? Her new home was better than anything she could have dreamed up. And Kyle had said there was a bathroom! She was particularly happy about not having to travel down two flights of stairs and out to the grounds just to go pee. Though she did feel bad for whoever had to lug buckets of hot water up those stairs to fill the tub she assumed would be located in the same room. There was a large wardrobe that stretched from the floor to the ceiling and a few chairs and end tables as well as a full length mirror. Ashlyn took a moment to stare at her reflection.

“Today I was mistaken for a man and kidnapped by the prince to become his new manservant.” She recapped to herself.

She wandered over to the large four post bed in the middle of the room, taking off her satchel and dropping it on the floor before flopping back onto the mattress and closing her eyes. This mattress is incredible! She thought as she took a moment to roll around the soft covers. She pushed up her sleeve and pinched the skin on her forearm. 

“Nope, not a dream.” She sighed happily.

She heard a quick knock at the door and lifted her head to see the prince poking his head in.

“here these should fit you,” He held up a pile of clothes, “I grew out of these years ago, but they look to be the right size for you.”

He crossed the room to the wardrobe and started putting the clothes away. Ashlyn started to get up to assist the prince but he stopped her.

“No no relax,” He waved the blonde off, “you had a long day I’m sure.” He offered her a genuine smile. “Oh and I asked the servants to bring something up for you to eat since we missed dinner.” He added just as he finished hanging up the last garment.

“Oh… uh…Thanks.” Ashlyn hadn’t expected so much hospitality.

She almost felt like royalty herself.

The prince headed back for the door and just as he was about to open it he turned back to the blonde. 

“I hope you’ll like it here Ash. I’ll see you tomorrow morning. Goodnight!” And with that the prince left and Ashlyn was alone again.

“What did I just get myself into?” She sighed and flopped back down on her bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise there will be more Ali coming up! It's a bit of a slow start.


	3. The New Royal Valet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry in advance if there are any errors. I need a nap real bad lol.

Ashlyn awoke to the sound of knocking at her door. She groaned as she rolled over to look out the small window. The sun must have already been up for a few hours judging by the amount of warm light that spilled into the room. She tossed the covers aside and slowly rose from the bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. For a split second she had forgotten where she was, being surprised by the sensation of smooth hardwood under her feet instead of the usual hard earth and straw. She slid her cap from the nightstand and haphazardly placed it atop her tied up hair that had become rather messy in her sleep. The knocking persisted until she stumbled across the room and answered the door. 

“Good Morniiiiiing” The prince sang, far too awake for the blonde.

Ashlyn just squinted at him and grunted.

“Okay not a morning person I see.” He laughed at the grumpy blonde. “You’re almost as bad Ali.”

She quirked an eyebrow at the mention of the princess.

“I’m headed down to breakfast, you can meet me in the dining room.” Ashlyn watch as Kyle turned down the hall and disappeared in the stairwell.

“And put on some pants!” She heard him shout followed by laughter.

Ashlyn rolled her eyes as she shut the door and made her way over to the wardrobe.

She hadn’t bothered to examine the hand me down’s Kyle had given her, instead opting to sleep in just her worn shirt like she always had. She opened the wardrobe and was met with a few pairs of light brown pants, some clean white tunics and a couple cloth vests. Kyle had even left her a new belt. She pulled out a pair of pants, a tunic, and a dark blue vest and laid them out on the bed. She took off her old shirt and folded it into a drawer with the old pair of holy pants she had tossed in a corner the night before. She took a moment to rewrap the cloth she had been using to bind her chest, using extra care this time to tuck the end in so as not to have a surprise reveal in the middle of her day. After all, she’d like to keep her head.

After dressing herself in her new clothes, she undid her hair and brushed it out with a comb from the nightstand drawer. She tied it up again in a neat bun and pulled her cap over it to hide any evidence of the long hair. She took one last look in the mirror before exiting the room to go find Kyle at breakfast.

Just as she closed the door behind her, she heard another door click shut. 

Ashlyn turned around to find the princess standing in the hallway with her. She froze as she was met with those earthy eyes and a sleepy smile.

“Good Morning Ash.” Ali mumbled at the blonde.

“Good morning Princess.” Ashlyn dipped into an awkward bow, evoking a quiet laugh from the brunette.

Oh my god self you are so awkward, the blonde thought as she quickly righted herself and adjusted her vest.

“uh…” She searched for something else to say to the beautiful woman.

“After you…” Ash gestured towards the stairs, and the princess obliged with a small curtsey.

She swore there was a glint of mockery in the girl’s eyes.

The blonde mentally kicked herself for being such an awkward mess as she followed the princess down to the dining room.

When the pair entered together, Kyle looked up with a pastry in his mouth and one eyebrow raised at the blonde. Ashlyn chose to ignore the prince’s stare and sat down adjacent to him and across from Ali.

There was an impressive spread of fruit and pastries out on the table, causing the blondes mouth to water.

The three ate in silence until Ali pushed back her chair and got up to leave for her lessons for the day. Before the younger Krieger left, she leaned over to kiss her brother on the cheek.

“Go easy on him today.” She told him teasingly.

She turned and winked at Ash before exiting the room.

Ashlyn stopped chewing as she stared at the doorway in disbelief. Did she really just wink at me?

She heard Kyle snicker beside her and punched his shoulder. He rubbed the spot in mock offense.

“Don’t” Ash accused shooting Kyle a stern look.

The two finished the rest of their breakfast before heading out to the prince’s lesson’s for the day.

Ashlyn followed the burly brunette out of the large front doors and down to the courtyard. They approached a wooden chest that had been moved to the middle of the yard, prompting the blonde to inquire about their day. 

“What are we doing today your…Kyle?” Ashlyn corrected herself in the middle of the formality.

She looked on curiously as Kyle opened the chest and started pulling out pieces of equipment.

“Here.” Kyle responded tossing a thick vest at the blonde.

Ashlyn held the garment out in front of her to examine it. It was as heavily padded double breasted vest with closures traveling up the side of the chest piece. It looked as though it would cover from the base of the throat down to the base of the hips.

She raised an eyebrow at the prince who nodded at her to put it on as he did the same with a vest of his own. She obliged, still in the dark about what exactly they were doing. 

Kyle then handed her a pair of leather gloves and a long skinny sword. She pulled on the gloves and examined the sword.

It was rounded without any edges and a small ball was fixed to the tip. Well this looks rather useless she thought.

“En Garde!” Kyle yelled stepping back into a slightly crouched stance with the sword out in front of him.

“uh… en garde?” Ashlyn mimicked his stance.

“Pret!” he yelled again.

“what?”

“ALLEZ!” Kyle lunged at the blonde who shrieked as she dropped to the ground, covering her head with her hands.

The prince immediately broke into laughter, clutching at his chest.

Ashlyn scrambled to her feet after realizing he was not in fact trying to kill her.

“What’s so funny?!” She yelled at the hysterical prince, as she was clearly the butt of some joke she did not understand.

“You...the sound you made…and the…on the ground…” Kyle was just barely able to get out between laughter and gasps for air. He used the offended woman’s shoulder to steady himself before letting out a massive sigh and starting again.

“have you never fenced before?” He asked a bit more serious now.

“Have I never what?” Ash squinted at the prince in confusion.

“Ah getting started early? I like the initiative!”

Ashlyn turned toward the direction of the voice to find a man approaching the pair. He was dressed in similar attire. The man extended his hand to the blonde.

“Hello, you must be the prince’s new valet I assume? My name is Pierre, I’m Kyle’s fencing tutor.” Ashlyn shook his hand slowly.

“Hi, my name is Ash and I have no idea what fencing is.” She deadpanned.

Pierre chuckled. “Well Ash, you’re in good hands. We’ll start with the basics then. A nice refresher right Kyle?” 

Kyle nodded cheerily.

For the next hour Pierre went over the proper way to stand, hold what she learned was called a foil, and lunge and parry. It didn’t take long for the blonde to catch on and as it turned out, she was a natural. She had excellent hand eye coordination, allowing her to maneuver the foil quickly to block incoming jabs.

“Fantastic Ash!” Pierre complimented as Ashlyn swiftly diverted his incoming lunge.

“Alright let’s take a moment for a break.” The tutor went to the wooden chest, pulled out a stone, and began smoothing out the nicks that had formed on his foil.

Kyle came to the blonde’s side and whispered in her ear.

“Handsome don’t you think?”

Ashlyn's eyes grew wide and she choked.

“Excu…Excuse me?!” She stammered out.

Shit. She thought. Did he know? What gave her away? She panicked, tugging on her vest and re-positioning her cap.

Kyle stepped back with a surprised expression.

“Ash, can I talk to you?”

Oh no, he totally knows. There goes my head! Ashlyn felt like she was going to pass out.

The prince gently dragged the blonde by the forearm over to a large tree on the edge of the courtyard. He dropped his grip and sighed.

“Were there any other rumors you heard, Ash?” He looked expectantly at the panicking woman.

Kyle looked rather calm for someone who was about to get someone beheaded, Ashlyn thought.

“Uh...” She took a moment to calm her thoughts enough to reach back into her memory.

“I guess there was another one I heard… that your servants kept leaving because you took a special interest in them or something…” She furrowed her brow in confusion. What did those rumors have to do with her?

Kyle nodded his head in understanding and looked around before speaking again.

“That one is actually true.” Kyle looked down and fidgeted with the hem of his vest.

“Oh.” Ashlyn realized she wasn’t about to get beheaded.

“Well that’s…I mean…Okay.” She didn’t really know what to say.

After all she was the one gallivanting around in men’s clothes pretending she wasn’t a woman so it really wasn’t her place to judge. And the more awkward run in’s she had with the princess, the more she suspected that she too wasn’t exactly living up to the ‘traditional order’ of things as Kyle had put it.

“Okay?” The prince looked up, surprised by the blonde’s response.

Ashlyn nodded.

“Okay.” He let go of the breath he had been holding and nodded back with a slight smile.

Just over Kyle's shoulder Ashlyn caught a glimpse of the princess coming down the front steps of the castle.

Ali looked over at the pair conspiring under the tree and offered a small wave. She smiled when she noticed the blonde watching her.

Ash slowly waved back, blushing slightly at having been caught staring.

Kyle narrowed his eyes at the red faced woman and turned to follow her gaze. When he noticed his sister walking towards the garden, he turned back with a mischievous grin.

“I see that you’re rather normal though.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

Ashlyn rolled her eyes as she shoved him lightly and started walking back to their lesson.

“Far from it.” She muttered to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright fam, there will be a lot more Ali going forward!


	4. First day, worst day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright this one is short and sweet. I'm hoping to get another one up later tonight.

“Hnn!…Okay…I’m done…” Ashlyn clenched her stomach, attempting to suppress the pain from Kyle’s last touch.

They had reconvened after their little break and jumped right into proper dueling, which Ashlyn had quickly learned was much more intense when faced with the burly brunette. She felt like she had done exceptionally well when practicing with Pierre, but once she had gone a few rounds with the prince; she suspected the tutor had gone easy on her to boost her confidence. The blonde could have sworn the amount of hands on labor she used to do on a day to day basis would have conditioned her body to keep up, but there was no matching the athleticism of her royal opponent. He landed touch after touch and though the vest she wore was heavily padded, she felt Every. Single. One.

“You alright?” Kyle stepped toward the blonde, a little concerned by her sudden forfeit.

Ash waved him off, still doubled over.

“It’s fine. I’m fine.” She strained, attempting to straighten up and breathe through the pain.

Pierre laughed and shook his head before turning to pack up the fencing equipment. Ashlyn roughly peeled the gloves from her sweaty hands and unclasped her heavy vest. She pulled down the collar of her shirt and examined a few discolored spots forming on her chest. She groaned as she covered her new bruises back up and yanked off the useless padded vest before tossing everything back into the chest.

“Well!” Pierre slapped the blonde’s back, causing her to wince as she felt the soreness settling into her shoulders.

“I’d say your first lesson was a success, Ash!”

“You’ve got yourself a good man here Kyle! I’ll see you next week!” He complimented the prince, then left the pair in the courtyard.

As soon as Pierre was out of earshot Ashlyn whimpered and collapsed onto the chest.

“Easy does it.” Kyle instructed, laughing at the blonde’s dramatic display.

He grasped her wrist and gently draped her arm across his shoulders, lifting her to her feet. The pair awkwardly hobbled inside and up the two flights of stairs to their rooms.

The prince continued to assist the battered blonde to her bed. As soon as the edge hit the side of her legs she collapsed onto the mattress and groaned into the covers.

“Do you need anything?” Kyle laughed crossing his arms.

Ashlyn groaned again in response.

“Alright well I’m gonna go. I’ll be back in about an hour to get you for dinner.” He crossed back to the door and left.

Once she heard the door click shut, she rolled slowly onto her back and unbuttoned her vest. She carefully lifted up her shirt to examine the tender flesh beneath. She found her torso was covered in multiple round bruises. She whimpered, dropping her hands back down on the bed.

There was no way she would survive the week if every day were as brutal as her first day had been. Apart from the various rumors that had trickled down to the local barmaids, Ash had absolutely no knowledge about her new title and exactly what her job would entail. However she never would have thought it would include being the prince’s personal pin cushion. When Kyle had informed her she wouldn’t have to do much, she thought she would simply be following him around all day, not actually having to _participate_. She was too exhausted to move from the position she had fallen into and decided to close her eyes and let her worn body relax.

 

A quiet knock woke the blonde from her light slumber and she groaned as she felt the soreness had set deeper into her body.

“Come in.” she mumbled, unable to move from the position she had fallen asleep in.

“Kyle asked me to check on you to make sure you weren’t dead.”

Ashlyn jerked her head up at the sound of the princess’s voice.

“He also wanted me to tell you it’s time for dinner.” Ali raised an eyebrow at the disheveled blonde.

Ashlyn shot up from the bed and hastily tucked her shirt back in and buttoned her vest. Ali shook her head, smiling at the ridiculous woman before turning down the hall.

“Damn it Kyle.” Ashlyn grumbled to herself as she followed after the princess.

Once again, the pair entered the dining room together, and this time Ashlyn glared in response to the prince’s smug look.

“huhhmm.”

The king cleared his throat and Ashlyn realized it would not just be her and the royal siblings dining tonight. She quickly made her way to the chair beside Kyle and sat down. The king and queen sat at the heads of the table while Kyle and Ash sat on one side with Ali on the other. After the late pair took their seats, the king spoke.

“Now that everyone is here, dinner may be served.” He directed at the servants standing against the wall.

They all hurried through the kitchen door to retrieve the royal family’s meals. Ashlyn looked down at her place setting and noticed there were multiple utensils arranged around the plate. She had never learned proper etiquette and realized she was at a complete loss as to what to do. She glanced over at Kyle who was arranging a cloth napkin in his lap, and decided to follow his lead. The rest of the dinner went much the same way with Ashlyn watching Kyle’s every move. She payed close attention to which piece of silverware was the correct one for each course and copied the way the prince took small bites of his food. She noticed the royals weren’t ones for mealtime conversation as dinner was just as quiet as breakfast had been.

“uhhmm.” The king cleared his throat again, breaking into the comfortable silence.

Ashlyn was starting to hate this obnoxious habit he had for commanding attention.

“Kyle, Alexandra,” he began, “Your mother and I will be going away for a few days to take care of some royal business.”

The blonde flinched when she felt a kick from under the table. She looked up and was met with an apologetic look from the princess who had clearly meant that kick for her brother.

“When will you be leaving?” Ali asked looking back to her father.

“We will be leaving tomorrow afternoon, and returning in about five days.” The king informed his daughter.

This time Ali’s foot met its intended target and Ashlyn watched as the siblings shared a knowing look.

She quirked an eyebrow at the pair, wondering what the two were conspiring.

The servants finished clearing away the last of the dinner plates and the royals all stood up, said their goodnights, then headed to their separate wings of the castle.

 

“Okay, what was that all about?” Ashlyn asked as she followed the royal siblings to their rooms.

“What was what about?” Kyle responded casually, not bothering to look back at the questioning blonde.

“The weird looks you two were giving each other at dinner!” She exclaimed, slightly annoyed at being left out of the loop.

Ali and Kyle stopped in front of their doors and turned to face her.

“Our parents are going away.” Kyle stated.

“Yes I know, I was there, but why were you being so weird about it?” She looked between the Krieger’s expectantly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The prince shrugged, feigning ignorance.

 Ali smirked as her brother teased the clearly frustrated woman.

“Ugh whatever, I’m going to bed.” She threw her hands up in defeat and stomped to her room.

“Goodnight Ash!” She heard Kyle shout from the hallway as she shut the door.


	5. Strong independent women

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I was gonna post another chapter Friday but then I worked late and was exhausted and then yesterday was game day and I have to drive 2 hours each way. But anyways, here's another one. This was fun to write :D

Ashlyn woke to the same persistent knocking as the day before.

“Please no!” She grumbled as she rolled over and hugged her pillow to her ears in an attempt to drown out the annoying sound.

It seemed to be working and she started to drift back to sleep.

“Good Morning!” The dozing blonde’s eyes shot open at the sound of Kyle’s voice inches from her face.

“AHHHH KYLEEE!” She screamed, flinching backwards only to find the edge of the bed, and tumbled in a mess of sheets out onto the floor.

“Ughhhhhh Whyyyyy!” She whined, the hard floor reminding her of yesterday’s fencing lesson.

Kyle laughed as he walked around to the side of the bed the surprised woman had just fallen from.

“Get up, it’s a beautiful day!” The prince poked at her ribs.

“OWE! That was a bruise asshole!” Ashlyn yelled as she swatted his hand away.

“Ooo feisty, I like it.” He teased before exiting the room to go to breakfast.

Ash groaned as she untangled herself and got up to get ready for the day.

 

Ashlyn came into the dining room to find it was only her and Kyle, feeling slightly disappointed the princess would not be joining them this morning. She slowly wandered over to her usual breakfast dining spot and loaded up her plate. She had just sat down and taken her first bite when Kyle abruptly got up from the table.

“Time to go!” He exclaimed, practically skipping to the door.

“Whaa? I juss saf doww!” Ashlyn exclaimed through her mouthful of muffin.

Kyle was already out the door before Ashlyn could protest further. She begrudgingly got up to follow the prince, grabbing an apple as a snack for later. The prince made his way directly across the entrance hall to the library, where Ashlyn guessed his lessons would be for the day. She noticed he took a moment to fix his hair and check his breath before he swung the door open.

“Good morning William!” He said cheerfully, crossing the room to a large table covered in books.

Sitting at the table was a rather young looking gentleman. He couldn’t have been that much older than Kyle. He looked up from the book he was reading to smile at the approaching prince.

“Good morning Kyle!” He responded, standing up to greet the brunette.

The pair lightly embraced before the young tutor turned to greet the blonde who had just come through the door.

“And good morning…” He trailed off at the end of his sentence, realizing he had not yet met this new person.

“OH forgive me!” Kyle giggled. “This is Ash, my new royal valet.”

Ashlyn waved as she made her way toward the pair.

“But,” Kyle started toward the woman, “He can’t stay, he has other things he needs to do.” The prince started ushering Ashlyn back toward the door.

“What? But I thought I wa…” She started but was cut off.

“No, no you go do that thing you were talking about.” He responded a bit more aggressive, turning the blonde around and giving her one final push through the doorway.

Ash spun around to protest just as the door was shut in her face. She blinked in disbelief at the closed door. Well that was rude, she thought. She took a moment to recover before she turned back toward the dining room, figuring now she had time to actually eat breakfast. She walked toward the room only to find the servants had already rushed in and cleaned everything up.

“Orrr not.”

So far her day was _not_ going very well. She heard the chiming of the hour and turned to see the large clock hanging over the castle entrance only read ten in the morning. Now what was she supposed to do? Kyle definitely wouldn’t be letting her back into the library anytime soon. She could wait for him here, but he would be in his lesson for at least a few more hours. She mentally weighed her options and decided it would be a better use of her time to go find something else to do rather than wait outside the library like a lost puppy. Maybe she could find someone that would appreciate her help for the time being.

Coming to a decision, she made her way across the entrance hall and through the large double doors.

 

It took her eyes a moment to adjust as she stepped out into the morning sun. It was a comfortable temperature currently, with a soft breeze blowing through the trees. She jogged down the front steps and scanned the grounds, hoping to spot a lonely gardener in need of a helping hand. To her disappointment, there was no one insight, and the rustling leaves and singing birds were the only sounds that filled the air. At least a nice walk around the grounds would kill some time she thought as she shoved her hands in her pockets and slowly made her way down a wide dirt road that spurred off the main cobblestone one.

The road seemed to continue forever as Ash strolled along, admiring the perfectly landscaped grounds of the castle. As she walked she noticed a large barn not too far ahead. As she got closer she realized this building must be the royal stables, judging by the strong smell of hay and horse manure. Maybe there was someone in there she could lend a hand to she thought.

Ashlyn stepped through the large open door and scanned the interior.

“Anyone in here?” She called out, hoping to find a needy stable hand.

A horse whinnied from the other end of the barn. Ash walked past the empty stalls to one of the only occupied ones. As she got closer she recognized its resident as the silvery-brown horse Kyle had led her to the castle on. She reached up to rub the mare’s velvety soft nose.

Another whinny came from behind her, and she turned to find a large white stallion impatiently chewing on his stall.

“Are you not getting enough attention?” She cooed, crossing to the other side to scratch this horse’s nose as well.

He pressed against her hand and sighed in satisfaction.

“I guess you’re lucky I came along!” She laughed.

The faint sound of hooves clopping against the dirt road drifted in through the open entrance, prompting the blonde to turn to see who was approaching. The stallion was not pleased by the sudden halt to his massage and leaned down to snatch the cap from the distracted woman head.

“HEY!” She snapped her hands to her head but the horse had already taken the cap.

“Giv…Hey…I nee…Stop it!” the cheeky steed bobbed his head up and down, keeping the cap just out of reach.

Ashlyn jumped up and snatched the cap back just as the clopping stopped right outside the barn door. She hastily replaced the cap and turned toward the approaching company.

“I think he likes you.” The princess smirked at the flustered blonde from the doorway.

Ashlyn’s throat went dry as she took in the sight of the stunning woman before her.

Ali was dressed in a dark red velvet vest over a fitted white with the sleeves rolled up to her elbow. The tunic was tucked into her light colored pants which were tucked into tall black leather boots. Her hair had been tied back in a ribbon, with the resulting ponytail draped around her shoulder.

Ash held the brunette’s gaze as she stood glued to the spot.

During this brief lapse in the blonde’s attention, the stallion took the opportunity to go for her cap again. This time she was fast enough to clap it back down to her head before the white horse could give her up.

She turned and glared at the cap thief, who just lifted his lips and smiled at her.

Ali laughed as she approached the comedic duo.

“I thought you’d be with Kyle today?” She asked, tying off the beautiful chestnut colored mare she had been leading to the stall next to the white stallion.

“I was until he so rudely kicked me out and shut the door in my face.” Ash huffed recounting the prince’s strange behavior.

“mmm” Ali nodded. “I forgot he would be with William today.”

Ashlyn watched as the princess effortlessly unbuckled the saddle and lifted it off the horse. She couldn’t help but stare as Ali’s shirt sleeves squeezed around her well defined biceps.

“What?” The brunette tilted her head inquisitively having noticed the other woman’s eyes fixated on her.

“Hmm? Yeah…he’s uh…he’s with William.” Ashlyn looked away, rubbing the back of her neck nervously at having been caught.

Ali quirked an eyebrow at the blonde before continuing to put away her riding gear.

Ash noticed a brush hanging against the wall and grabbed it, hoping if she kept herself busy she wouldn’t be distracted by the princess’s incredible arms. She started grooming the chestnut mare.

“You don’t have to do that.” Ali walked back to her horse and patted its neck.

“Do what?” Ashlyn asked, focusing hard on the strokes she was making.

“Take care of my horse for me. Just because I’m the princess doesn’t mean I constantly need other people to do things for me.” The princess crossed her arms in annoyance.

“Oh, sorry…I wasn’t…I actually just enjoy it.” The blonde tried to explain.

“Oh. That’s okay…I just thought you were trying to do it for me.” Ali uncrossed her arms, realizing her mistake.

“Have you worked with horses before?” She asked as she went to fetch a bucket of oats.

“Yeah, actually I used to work in a stable when I was-HEY!” Ashlyn was interrupted by the stallion reaching into her pocket and pulling out the apple she had grabbed at breakfast.

“I was saving that.” She pouted as the horse happily munched on his newly discovered treat.

Ali shook her head smiling.

“He can be yours if you want.” She nodded toward the white steed. “We just got him actually, and he hasn’t really warmed up to anyone. Well, except for you.” She smirked.

The horse snickered at the blonde, and she shot him another glare.

Ali held up a handful of oats under his nose.

Ashlyn watched as he gently ate from the princess’s hand. “I’d say he likes you better.”

“I guess he has good taste.” Ali winked at her.

Ash felt her heart skip. The princess really needed to stop doing that the blonde thought as she attempted to keep focused on her task.

 “Does he have a name?” She asked, changing the subject. 

“Not yet.” Ali held her hand out silently asking for the brush. Ashlyn reluctantly placed the tool in the brunette’s waiting palm and stepped back.

She moved her focus to the white stallion and squinted at him. She pursed her lips and rubbed her chin, deep in thought.

“D’Andre.” She finally stated.

“D’andre?” Ali gave her a questioning look.

“Yeah. His name is D’Andre.” The blonde nodded confidently.

The horse whinnied and the two women laughed.

“D’Andre it is.” Ali smiled at Ash before continuing on her horse. The pair fell into a comfortable silence as the princess expertly groomed the chestnut mare. Several minutes later Ashlyn spoke.

“So…What’s on the princess’s agenda for today?” She asked curiously.

Ali looked over her shoulder at the blonde.

“I really wish you would call me by my name.” She stated pointedly.

The seriousness to the brunette's tone sent a slight shiver down Ash’s spine.

“Alright, what’s on Miss Alexandra Krieger’s agenda for today?” She tried again, hoping to bring back her favorite smile.

Ali rolled her eyes at the woman.

“Just this.” She turned her attention back to the mare.

At that moment a loud growl came from Ashlyn’s stomach.

Ali turned again to look at the blonde, this time with a raised eyebrow.

“I didn’t get to finish my breakfast this morning.” The embarrassed woman mumbled at the ground.

This earned a laugh from the princess. “Why don’t you join me?”

“What?” Ash looked up, confused by the brunette’s offer.

“Join me for lunch. I’m sure Kyle will be preoccupied with William for the rest of the day.” Ali patted her horse as she finished brushing out the chestnut coat.

“Uh…okay sure.” Ash did have more time to kill, and she _was_ pretty hungry.

Ali untied the chestnut mare and led her into the stall. Ash shook her head and smiled as she watched the princess kiss the horse’s nose before removing the bridle and closing the gate.

The brunette sighed heavily, then turned to the smiling woman expectantly.

“After you pr…Miss Krieger.” Ashlyn gestured toward the barn door.

Ali playfully shoved the blonde as she rolled her eyes, then started toward the exit.

Ash stood there for a second, rubbing where the princess had just touched her.

Ali turned around realizing she wasn’t being followed.

“You coming?” She quirked an eyebrow at the woman who was now sporting the dopiest grin.

“Uh yeah.” Ashlyn shook it off and jogged after the princess.


	6. Not what I expected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the support. I really appreciate it, and it keeps me motivated to get this story written! Enjoy!

The pair made their way back to the castle in a comfortable silence. The midday sun beat down over head, shining through any space it could find amongst the leaves of the tall shady tree’s lining the dirt road. There was a light breeze blowing through that picked up the delicate scent of Ali’s perfume and carried it to Ashlyn’s senses. She closed her eyes as she took a long steady breath, wanting to commit the calming aroma to memory. She felt at ease walking beside the princess. There was something about her that drew the blonde in, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Having spent a little more time getting to know the girl, Ashlyn realized she was nothing like she originally expected. That first moment when they locked eyes, Ash could have sworn she was in the presence of some sort of goddess. The way the brunette carried herself with such elegance and grace was something Ashlyn _had_ expected from a princess, just not to the degree with which Ali possessed. But now, as the blonde stole glances out of the corner of her eye at the stunning woman walking beside her, she saw there was much more to the princess than her fancy title.

“So you said you used to work in a stable?” Ali broke through Ashlyn’s thoughts.

“Uh yeah,” She took a second to come back to the present. “When I was little I worked as a stable boy.”

“How old were you?” The princess continued with questions, clearly making and effort to keep the other woman in conversation.

“I guess I was about…seven?” Ashlyn had to think for a moment, as it had been such a long time ago.

“Wow.” Ali raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Why were you working at such a young age?” The brunette pressed further, very much interested in Ash’s backstory.

“Well I uh…my family we…we didn’t really have much…” The blonde felt blindsided by the princess’s prying questions.

Her past wasn’t something she usually talked about. In fact she never talked about it. She never even spent time _thinking_ about it. At least until now.

“Can we talk about something else?” She started to feel uncomfortable at the brunette’s attempt to learn more about her life prior.

“Oh…Of course.” The princess replied apologetically, realizing she may have struck a chord with the blonde.

As they approached the end of the dirt road, Ashlyn noticed the royal carriage was parked in front of the castle.

“There you are!” The blonde looked up to see the king coming down the front steps towards them.

He was dressed less regal than usual, most likely in his travel clothes in preparation for the trip he and the queen were leaving for. That explains the carriage as well she thought.

“Where’s your brother?” The king asked his daughter, suspiciously looking over Ashlyn who should have been with the prince.

“Deep in his studies.” Ali smirked at the blonde.

“He has taken quite an interest in his lessons ever since William arrived.” The king agreed, completely oblivious to the snarky nature of Ali’s comment.

He turned back to Ash. “Why aren’t you with him?”

“Uh…well…you see…” She stuttered, trying to think of an explanation other than the truth, which would surely get Kyle in trouble.

Ali jumped in to save the struggling blonde. “Kyle wanted to make sure he had minimal distractions so he sent Ash to help me with Kweeny”

Ashlyn raised an eyebrow at the girl. Kweeny? Really? She made a mental note to give the princess a hard time about the ridiculous name.

“Actually, Ash even befriended our new stallion.” Ali added, clearly attempting to get the king to warm up to the blonde.

“Oh. Well good. I’m glad someone can get through to him.” The king softened at his daughter’s response, but not before giving Ash another quick look of suspicion.

She gulped, and smiled as innocently as possible, feeling her nerves rise.

Just then the queen came over, breaking up the awkward tension between the two.

“Alexandra,” She came to stand in front of her daughter, taking both of her hands in her own.

“Please keep your brother out of trouble while we’re away.” She pleaded lightly with the girl, who nodded in response. “I know mom, I’ll try.”

The queen pulled her daughter into a tight embrace, saying ‘I love you’ to which Ali mumbled back ‘I love you too’.

Ash felt her chest tighten slightly at the touching display, having had the repressed feelings she felt toward her own family rise to the surface thanks to the princess’s prying questions from their walk.

The king cleared his throat and the mother daughter pair broke apart.

“Well. I suppose it’s time for us to be on our way.” He declared.

Ali clung to her mother’s arm as the three royals walked to the waiting carriage, Ash trailing a safe distance behind. The queen smiled and gave Ali’s hand a quick squeeze before turning to the blonde to also give her a smile. Ali must get her softness from her mother Ashlyn thought as the queen’s gesture set her mind at ease. The footman opened the door and offered his hand to help the queen step inside.

The king followed behind, his foot just on the step before he turned back to his daughter.

“And Alexandra,” He started looking her over, “I really wish you would stop gallivanting around in those clothes. You look ridiculous.”

“Have you ever ridden a horse in a dress, father?” Ali shot back seriously.

Ash’s eyes widened at the princess’s forwardness.

“I…I would never!” The king stammered, taken aback.

“Exactly.” Ali turned slightly to shoot the blonde a smug smile.

Ashlyn snorted trying to stifle her laughter.

The king snapped his head toward the woman, who immediately turned serious again, and gave her a stern look before climbing into the carriage beside his wife.

“Safe travels!” Ali waved at her parents as the carriage pulled away.

They watched it roll down the cobblestone road for a few minutes before the princess suddenly turned toward the blonde.

“Lunch?” She asked, to which Ash nodded fervently remembering that she was extremely hungry.

The pair turned toward the castle and made their way up the stone steps.

Ashlyn followed the princess into the dining, scanning the room in confusion as she noticed there was no sign that a meal was about to take place. Usually the table was already set and the food laid out for them.

 “Where’s lunch?” Ashlyn pouted as the hunger pains in her stomach grew stronger.

“I told the servants they had the rest of the day off once the king and queen left.” Ali said before disappearing through the kitchen door.

Ashlyn just stood awkwardly in the room, not sure if she was supposed to follow the princess or not. After a few seconds Ali poked her head back through the door.

“Well come on!” She commanded the blonde with a light laugh.

Ash obliged and followed the princess into the kitchen.

The novelty of the sheer size of every room in the castle had worn off by now, so Ashlyn wasn’t surprised that the kitchen was just as huge. There were several wooden cupboards lining the walls, and large tables set in the middle of the room. On the outside wall was a massive cooking fireplace with a large spit big enough to roast an entire hog. On either side there were various cast iron pots and pans meticulously arranged on the wall. Hanging from the ceiling were multiple varieties of herbs and spices she assumed were there for easy access when the servants were in full force preparing the luxurious spreads the royals seemed to have for every meal. She noticed they even had an indoor pump, for convenient access to water they used for cooking as well as heating up for baths. Ashlyn wandered over to what looked like a large butcher block based on the dark red stain to it and admired the pristine knives hanging against the wall above it. They didn’t look like they had ever been used, and they were so well polished she could see her own reflection in the blades.

“Do they even use anything in her-“ Ashlyn turned to ask only to find the girl had vanished.

“Princess?” She called out, scanning the room.

“It’s Ali, and I’m down here.” She could just barely make out the muffled response from the princess.

She crossed the room searching for the ‘down here’ Ali was talking about. In the corner of the room she noticed a small dark opening, and upon further examination saw it led to a narrow set of stone steps that descended into a cool cellar.

“What are you doing?” Ashlyn called out into the dark stairwell.

“Getting us lunch.” Ali came into view at the bottom of the steps, a lit candle in her hand.

“Can you bring me one of those baskets by the door?” The princess asked, pointing to a spot next to the blonde’s head.

“Uh sure.” She turned to look where Ali had pointed and grabbed one of the hanging baskets before climbing down the narrow passage.

 “Thank you.” Ali said while dumping the contents of her arms into the basket.

Ash examined what she assumed would be lunch; a few loaves of bread, a wheel of cheese, and a bunch of grapes.

The princess was deep in the cellar again, standing on her tip toes to search the top of a cabinet.

“Aha!” She exclaimed, pulling out a dusty bottle of wine and waving it at the blonde.

“let’s get this party started early!”

She made her way back to Ashlyn and took the basket from her hands.

“Oh grab that too!” Ali pointed to a large blanket that was folded up in the corner on top of a barrel.

“What’s this for?” Ashlyn asked as she obliged the princess’s demand.

“It’s a beautiful day, and my parents are gone so I thought it might be nice to have a picnic.” The brunette explained as they climbed the steps back to the kitchen.

Ali blew out the candle she had been holding and placed it on a small table just outside the entrance, then crossed back toward the dining room. Ashlyn followed her through the entrance hall and out to the castle grounds.

They made their way over to the gardens and scoped out the perfect place for their picnic.

“Here is good!” The princess stopped just under a shady tree.

Ashlyn laid out the blanket for the two of them and Ali plopped down, immediately opening the bottle of wine she had found. She popped the cork and didn’t even bother with a cup, considering they hadn’t brought any with them. Ashlyn sat opposite the princess, laughing at the ridiculous sight before her as Ali lounged in men’s riding clothes and drank straight from the bottle.

“What?” Ali slowly lowered the bottle from her lips and looked over at the laughing blonde.

“You are nothing like I expected.” Ash smiled.

“How so?” Ali narrowed her eyes at the accusation.

“I mean, I’ve only ever heard about royals through stories and rumors, and they were always made out to be these perfectly proper, highly conceited people who weren’t really even _people_ …” Ali tilted her head slightly, listening to Ash’s explanation.

“But you’re nothing like that. You’re,” She gestured to the scene before her, “This.” She laughed finishing her thought.

 “Mmm so I’ve heard.” The princess rolled her eyes before taking another sip, then held the bottle out for the blonde who gladly took it.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s actually refreshing. I was so nervous when Kyle first brought me here. Honestly I was about to bolt through the front door before you showed up.” Ashlyn took a long swig, then handed it back.

Ali laughed, remembering the first time they had met.

“Oh I could tell.” She mocked the way the blonde had awkwardly bowed to her.

Ashlyn groaned in embarrassment, hiding her red face in her hands.

Ali continued laughing as she reached over to pull away the hiding woman’s hands.

“Oh stop, it was…endearing.” Ali offered thoughtfully with a smile.

She was still holding onto the blonde’s fingers and Ash was sure her hand was about to fall off by the way the princess’s light touch sent every nerve into a hyperactive frenzy.

She pulled her hand away as slowly as possible trying not to alert the brunette to her situation.

“So,” Ali started as she sat up and began pulling items from the basket, “Are you still planning on running away? Kyle hasn’t scared you off yet?”

She dropped a grape in her mouth and looked expectantly at the blonde.

Ashlyn took a moment to think before responding. “Well, yesterday was pretty rough, but I guess it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.” No, not bad at all, especially getting to spend time with the princess she thought. “Even if Kyle is unnaturally cheery in the morning.” She added.

“Oh my god, tell me about it!” She rolled her eyes, making Ashlyn laugh as the two had something in common to complain about. Ashlyn broke off a piece of bread and started munching on it.

“What other jobs have you had? Besides the stable boy one.” Ali offered her a bit of cheese as she asked.

“Let’s see...” Ash scrunched her face in concentration. “Most recently I worked on a fishing boat. But before that…I spent some time with a blacksmith, and did whatever other jobs came my way.”

The princess nodded in understanding.

“I guess that’s kind of how I ended up here.” The blonde laughed to herself, thinking how her run in with the prince got her a job as his new royal valet.

“Yeah Kyle told me all about that.” She smiled, offering Ash the bottle again.

“He did?” The blonde took another sip.

“Oh we tell each other everything. He is my brother after all.” Ali shrugged with a smile.

Ashlyn felt a touch of sadness as she thought back to her own brother. It must be nice to have someone like that to talk to. Someone who’s known you since birth. It had been years since she last thought about her brother. She took a few more sips and handed the bottle back.

They shared the rest of their lunch in silence, Ashlyn attempting to push down the difficult feelings that had resurfaced regarding her family.

 

“Alright I have another question.” Ali pointed the almost empty bottle at the blonde.

“Yes?” Ashlyn raised an eyebrow at the tipsy brunette.

“Why,” Ali crawled toward Ash, “Do you never seem to take this off?” She tugged at the blondes cap.

Ash caught her wrist before she could pull it off and gently returned her hand.

“I uh…have a bad haircut?” She hadn’t expected to be questioned for her fashion choices, so she went with the first excuse that popped into her head.

“Oooo let me see!” Ali reached up with both hands attempting to remove the cap again.

“Uhhhh no.” Ash dodged the girl, causing her to fall to the side of the blonde.

Ali looked up and pouted. Ashlyn just shook her head and smiled at the brunette.

“There you are! I was wondering where you had wandered off to.” Kyle called out as he strolled into the garden.

“ _Wandered?_ You mean after you kicked me out and shut the door in my face?” Ash accused the approaching prince.

“How was your rendezvous with William?” Ali sat up and wiggled her eyebrows at her brother.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Al.” Kyle feigned innocence, flopping down next to his sister.

“ALI! YOU STARTED WITHOUT ME?!” Kyle put his hand over his chest and gasped dramatically when he noticed the wine bottle the pair had been sharing.

He went to grab it but Ali got to it first and held it away.

“No! Get your own!” She turned to chug the rest of its contents.

Ashlyn shook her head and laughed at the pair. This was definitely not what she would have expected from the royal siblings.

“So Kyle, you planning on kicking me out again tomorrow?” She sassed the prince who stuck his tongue out in response.

“Actually, tomorrow we’re going to the beach.” He sassed back.

“YAYYYY!” The princess jumped up and did a little dance of excitement.

 Ashlyn caught herself with a dopey grin spread across her face as she watched the adorable woman. Kyle had noticed and smirked at the blonde. She rolled her eyes and shot him a look.

It was getting a lot harder to pretend Ali didn’t affect her.


	7. A lovely day for a dip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're not ready for this, I promise ;)

Ashlyn woke to the wind being knocked out of her as an overly excited prince jumped on her sleeping body.

“Kyle…you’re…crush…ing… me!” she was barely able to get while struggling to escape the unexpected weight.

“Are you excited for today?!” He exclaimed, completely ignoring the blonde’s plea for freedom.

“I…would…be…if…I wasn’t…about…to DIE!” Ashlyn resorted to punching the prince, which finally made him get off her.

Finally free, and very awake, the blonde suddenly realized her tied hair was not yet confined to her cap, which was still resting on her nightstand. She quickly brought her hands to her head in an attempt to cover the messy bun.  Luckily Kyle was too distracted by the excitement of the day to even notice and had already bounded to the door.

“I WILL come back if you are not dressed and at breakfast in half an hour!” The prince threatened pointing at the blonde before exiting the room.

Ashlyn sighed in relief that she had yet again, avoided revealing her secret.

From across the hall she could hear the door to Ali’s bedroom being slammed against the wall followed by the creak of a bed which she assumed was the result of Kyle jumping on his sister in the same manner he had done to Ash.

“ugh Kyleeeeee I’m sleeepinggggg.” The sound of Ali’s annoyed grumbling put a small smile on the blonde’s face. She would much rather wake up to that sound rather than the prince’s obnoxiously chipper ‘good morning’s’. She climbed out of bed and went to her wardrobe to get ready for the day.

 

Ashlyn entered the dining room to find Kyle already digging in, having piled his plate high with the fruits and pastries that had been laid out for them.

Suddenly she felt a warm hand on the small of her back and turned to meet a rather sleepy looking princess. She noticed the girl was wearing a light pair of pants and a blue tunic, Ashlyn guessed was an old one from Kyle by the way it hung loosely from her body.

“Sorry.” Ali mumbled, brushing past the blonde who had been blocking the doorway.

Ashlyn stood frozen in place as electric shocks spread from the spot that tingled from the smaller woman’s touch.

 “Are you gonna eat?” Kyle’s voice snapped the frozen woman from her trance.

“uh…yeah” She responded, a small blush rising in her cheeks.

Ali stopped filling her plate to look back at the blonde and smile.

This caused Ashlyn to blush harder and she wished she could just turn around and leave without giving herself away. Instead she clumsily took her usual spot by Kyle and picked out her own breakfast, avoiding the princess’s gaze.

 

After the trio had finished, Ashlyn followed the Krieger siblings out to the courtyard where they were met with a group of the castle servants waiting to accompany the royals to the beach. Pierre and William were among the few she recognized. The rest she was sure she had seen around the castle, but had yet to make proper introductions.

The sun’s presence was immediately felt as it beat down from a pure blue sky without a cloud in sight. It was the perfect day for a trip to the ocean. Everyone was dressed in as light clothing as possible, with the women in feather light dresses, with the exception of Ali and herself, and the men in pale pants and simple tunics.

“Are we missing anybody?” Kyle addressed the group as they approached, doing a quick head count.

After it was established all were accounted for, the beach goers started towards a small wooded path towards the back of the castle. Everyone fell into casual conversation as they walked, and Ashlyn dropped to the back to take a quiet moment for herself, enjoying the warm sunlight on her face.

She closed her eyes and filled her lungs with the rich woody aroma of the forest. She felt incredibly lucky to be able to relax and enjoy the scenery for once in her life. Before Kyle had found her, she spent every day inquiring about work opportunities and taking odd jobs that worked her hard for very little money. Now she was living the life. A full spread for every meal, an incredibly comfy featherbed she didn’t have to share with anyone else, a leak free roof over her head, new clothes that weren’t covered in stains or filled with holes, and the list went on and on. Ashlyn felt extremely grateful for the prince.

Her moment of thanks was interrupted by the sound of footsteps beside her. She opened her eyes and looked over to see the princess had fallen back to walk beside her. Yeah. She was grateful she thought, admiring the slight smile curled at the edges of Ali’s lips. The princess felt the blonde’s eyes on her and turned to meet her gaze.

“What?” She asked, her smile growing.

“Nothing.” Ashlyn snapped her eyes forward, willing herself not to blush again. She really needed to stop getting caught staring at the princess. She was focusing so hard on anything but the beautiful brunette that she missed the words that escaped her lips next.

“hm?” Ashlyn tilted her head slightly towards the smaller woman without making eye contact.

“I said it’s such a nice day out today, isn’t it?” Ali repeated.

Ashlyn nodded, still looking ahead.

The pair walked on silently.

Soon the sweet salty scent of the ocean filled the air, and the dirt path they had been traveling turned to fine white sand. A little farther and the trees thinned out enough for the sun to come through again, causing the sandy path to practically sparkle. They finally reached the tree line and stepped out on to a beautiful beach with crystal clear waves breaking on to the shore. It was a picturesque cove tucked between tall rocky cliffs with sheer faces that continued well beneath the water’s surface.

Ashlyn stopped at the head of the path to take in the breathtaking scenery.

“Are you gonna go diving?” Ali spoke up, still at the blonde’s side.

“Diving?” Ashlyn finally looked at the princess, her brows knit in confusion.

Ali pointed to the cliff the group was now hiking up. Kyle had already stripped off his tunic and his well-defined muscles glistened with sweat. They were all laughing and horsing around and it looked like they were having a lot of fun.

“Oh uh…I don’t think so.” She responded with a hint of sadness. There was nothing she loved more than the sensation of cool salt water on a hot summer day, but unfortunately, it was too much of a risk for her to take right now considering her terrible luck with keeping her long hair concealed.

“Good! You can keep me company!” Ali beamed up at the blonde.

“After you.” Ashlyn dramatically bowed.

Ali laughed at the blonde’s antics, and for the first time Ashlyn noticed the cute way her nose crinkled when she was genuinely amused.

 “You’re ridiculous. Come on.” Ali grabbed Ashlyn’s hand and she felt her heart leap into her throat.

It took everything she had to keep her breath even. Ali led the blonde to the edge of the water, where she dropped Ash’s hand and began taking off her shoes. She watched as the brunette rolled up her pants to her thighs and stepped into the salt water.

“HEY AL!” Ashlyn looked up to see Kyle yelling to the princess over the edge of the cliff. “Watch this!”

He disappeared for a moment at the top but quickly reappeared as he took a running jump off the edge.

Ashlyn watched as he flipped in the air before plunging into the foamy water below. A few seconds later his head popped out of the surf, met with the princess’s clapping. Kyle swam toward the shore and splashed out of the waves.

“You gonna jump in Ash?” he asked, running his hands through his hair to squeeze the water out.

“No, he’s keeping me company while you lunatics risk your lives.” Ali kicked sand at her brother.

Kyle wrapped the princess in a bear hug, pressing his soaked skin into her dry clothes.

“KYLEEEEEE!” She protested while giggling. She escaped his grip and ran behind the blonde for protection.

“You two are no fun!” He rolled his eyes dramatically and headed back to the top of the cliff.

Ali stepped from behind the blonde and plopped down on the sand, patting at the spot beside her asking Ashlyn to join. She obliged, took off her own boots, and dug her toes in the sand.

The two sat watching the waves and the various cliff divers enter and exit the water for a while before Ashlyn broke the silence.

“So…” She started, “Why aren’t you up there risking your life too, princess?” the blonde teased, nodding at the cliff.

Ali rolled her eyes at Ashlyn’s refusal to call her by her name.

“I’m gonna start ignoring you if you don’t call me by my name.” She threatened, a slight smile dancing at the corner of her mouth.

“As if you could go one day without talking to me.” Ash challenged.

“Oh yeah?” Ali quirked an eyebrow. “Watch me.” She abruptly got up to run away from the blonde.

“WAIT!” Ashlyn lunged at the brunette, grabbing her ankle and hindering her escape.

“I win.” Ali smirked.

Damn it, Ash thought. She had done so well hiding the way the princess affected her until she realized the girl would actually accept the challenge.

The princess sighed dramatically as she came back to sit by the blonde.

Ashlyn decided to try her question again, this time appeasing the brunette’s name request.

“So…Alex,” She didn’t want to give in quite so easily, “Why aren’t you up there jumping off cliffs?”

Ali smiled slightly at the new nickname before she pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them.

“I can’t swim.” She mumbled, not looking at the blonde.

Ashlyn felt guilty clearly broaching a sensitive subject for the princess. She searched for something else to say.

“HEY ASH!” Kyle shouted from the cliff again. “COME UP HERE!”

Ashlyn turned to the smaller woman for permission. Ali smiled and nodded toward the cliff letting her know it was okay to leave. The blonde reluctantly stood up and headed toward the prince.

When she reached the top of the cliff she was almost knocked over by Pierre who was dodging a lunge from a stick wielding William. Clearly the pair took it upon themselves to start up a stick fencing match.

“Geez guys watch out!” Kyle scolded the rough housing men.

He grinned as the blonde approached.

“Are you having fun?” He asked, slinging a lazy arm across the woman’s shoulders.

“Of course!” She replied, wondering what had prompted the prince to suspect otherwise.

“Good, stop flirting with my sister.” He deadpanned.

“What? I was not…” Ashlyn struggled to hide her embarrassment.

Kyle laughed and clapped the flustered blonde on the back.

“Relax! I’m only teasing.” He smirked.

Ash glared back.

Just then she noticed Ali at the head of the cliff trail. The princess waved at the pair and started toward them, attempting to go around the two stick fencers. She had just stepped out on the cliff when Pierre lunged at William who jumped to the side, knocking into the woman. Ash watched as if in slow motion as Ali’s smile quickly turned to panic as she lost her balance.

“ALI!” Kyle screamed as his sister disappeared off the ledge.

Ashlyn didn’t wait for the splash before she was already diving after the princess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :O


	8. Sink or swim

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lmao I'm sorry I just wanted to be a dick for a second and leave you with a cliffhanger (pun intended)

Ashlyn hit the water with so much speed she had to immediately arch her back in order to avoid diving several meters down. As soon as she broke the surface she was screaming for the no doubt drowning princess.

“ALEX!” She noticed the panicked girl a few meters away, splashing frantically as she fought to keep her head above water.

The blonde broke into a sprint trying to reach her as fast as she could, only to get within arm’s length as a large wave broke over the both of them. Ash was knocked back, swallowing a mouthful of salt water.

“Shit!” She coughed wildly.

She spun in a circle searching for the princess only to find she had been swept under. Without a second thought the blonde sucked in as much air as her lungs would allow and dove down to find the drowning brunette.

She opened her eyes, ignoring the sting from the salt water and searched the depths for a human shape. A few strokes away she saw a limp figure and pushed hard to reach it. Ash caught Ali’s wrist, quickly pulling the sunken girl into her arms and kicking furiously towards the light.

As they broke the surface, she gasped for air then checked over the brunette cradled in her arms. The princess had stopped breathing. Not wasting anytime Ashlyn flipped onto her back, holding Ali against her chest, attempting to keep both their faces above the water as she swam them both to shore.

As soon as her foot kicked sand, she stood up and began dragging the unconscious brunette out of the ocean. Once they were on the beach, Ash collapsed backwards, completely spent at her rescue attempt. But there was no time to rest as she cradled the princess in her arms and began shaking the unresponsive girl.

“Alex?! Alex can you hear me?!” She yelled into Ali’s ear while she patted her face in an attempt to wake the smaller woman.

Ali’s eyes shot open as she came to, coughing frantically as she tried to clear the salt water from her lungs.

“Alex!” Ashlyn held the now conscious princess tight to her chest, thanking whatever holy being she could think of.

“Alex are you okay!?” The blonde gently held Ali’s face in her hands trying to steady the gasping woman.

“I’m fine… I’m fine.” Ali sputtered out between coughs.

Just then Kyle came sprinting towards the soaked pair.

“ALI OH MY GOD!” he yelled as he collapsed in the sand, pulling his sister into a tight hug.

Ash realized her cap had come off during the rescue, and quickly brought her hands to her head to make sure the tie holding her hair hadn’t been lost as well. She breathed a small sigh of relief as she felt her hair was still pulled together.

Kyle lifted his sister to her feet and slowly helped her over to a few servants who were ready with towels for the shaken girl.

“Take her home and check her over again!” Kyle commanded.

He waited until Ali had disappeared into the woods before turning back to the blonde and pulled her into a tight hug as well. Ash was completely caught off guard, the air being squeezed out of her lungs.

“You’re a real hero Ash.” He told her, fighting back tears.

“It’s…it’s nothing.” Ash was barely able to breathe out, attempting to free one of her arms so she could cover her exposed hair.

Finally realizing he was probably crushing the blonde he released her and held her at arm’s length. Ashlyn snapped her hand to head, only a moment too late.

 “You have a big…“  Kyle turned her around so he could get a better look at the strange bump on the blondes head.

Ashlyn tried to squirm away from his grip but he still held strong.

“What the…“ Kyle noticed the tie and tugged at it, causing the tight bun to unravel.

She finally broke away and backed up quickly while frantically trying to keep the loose hair contained.

“I uh… It’s just…” she started.

The prince looked Ash up and down. The impromptu dip in the water rendered her white shirt almost see through, revealing the strip of cloth she had been using to bind her chest.

“And what is that? Ash what’s going on?” Kyle asked tilting his head in curiosity.

“Please don’t tell anyone!” The blonde pleaded, now stepping towards the prince.

“Tell anyone what, Ash?” he crossed his arms, still not completely sure what he was seeing.

This was it. She couldn’t hide it anymore. She had no clue how to back herself out of this one, so now it was time to come clean she thought.

She looked around to make sure no one else was watching them before letting her hair fall around her shoulders.

“Oh. My. God.” The prince started, “Are you telling me…”

He ran his hand over the long blonde locks. “You’re actually a girl?”

“Yes.” Ashlyn winced in anticipation of the consequences.

“My dad would DIE if he knew he let me hire a _woman._ ” He started laughing hysterically.

The blonde’s eyes bugged out of her head at the mention of the king.

“Kyle please, please, _please_ do not tell the king! I’m begging you! I really _really_ want to keep my head attached to my-“ She had dropped to her knees, pleading for her life, but was cut off.

“Whoa Ash hold on. Do you really think I’d rat you out?” He reached down to help the blonde up off the ground.

“I mean…no but I’d really rather not get beheaded…”

“ _Beheaded?”_ Kyle gripped the woman’s shoulders.

“Ash did you keep this from me because you thought you would get _beheaded_?”

“Well I kept trying to tell you when you first brought me here, but then everything happened so fast, and then suddenly I was your royal valet, and then you said if I wanted to keep my head, I wasn’t to go-“ Kyle cut the girl off again.

“Ash. I wasn’t serious about the keeping your head thing. What, do you think we’re barbarians?” he chuckled at the blonde’s foolishness.

“How was I supposed to know!” She shot back defensively.

The pair was distracted by the sound of something lapping against the shore, only to look over and see Ashlyn’s cap floating in the water. Kyle walked over and snatched it up. He wrung it out and brought it back to the blonde, slapping it back on her head. Ashlyn twisted her hair back into a bun and tucked it up under the cap. Kyle shook his head smiling at the soaked woman.

“Come on Ash, if that’s your _real_ name.” He slung his arm across the blondes shoulder and started toward the ocean path.

“We’ve got _a lot_ to talk about.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cat's out of the baggggggg meow!


	9. Sharing is caring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright here's a long one for you. There's a bit of angst. Also a brief mention of abuse.

The pair had just gotten to the wooded part of the path when a pair of heavy footsteps came running behind them.

“William?” Kyle turned to greet the man who was now doubled over and gasping for air.

“I...am…so sorry!” The guilty tutor barely got out between breaths.

“Please,” he got on his knees and grabbed a hold of the prince’s hand.

“Please know I didn’t mean for any of that to happen! I wasn’t paying attention! I’m so so sorry.” He pleaded, then turned to the blonde.

“And Ash, you were incredible. I can’t bear to think what could have happened if you weren’t there!” He got up from the ground and squeezed the girl in a tight hug.

“I’m sure someone else would have jumped in…I guess I just reacted first…that’s all…” Ash tried to shrug off the responsibility.

After all, there were plenty of other bystanders that could swim.

“Yes he’s a real hero.” Kyle was showing a touch of jealousy at the tutor’s display of affection toward the blonde.

William released Ash and turned back to the prince. “Is Ali okay? Is there anything I can do? I just feel so awful!” He put his head in hands.

Kyle turned to give Ash a look, holding his chest and pouting his lips at the poor man’s remorse.

“Don’t worry, she’s fine. And Ash was about to go see how she’s doing anyways, right Ash?” The prince looked to her expectantly.

“Uh…yeah.” She responded, struggling to understand what Kyle was getting at.

Good, so we’ll see you later Ash?” The burly brunette started to lead William back down the path.

“I guess.” She mumbled slightly annoyed that Kyle was ditching her again.

He had it _bad_ for the tutor.

She continued on alone.

After a few minutes the adrenaline finally dissipated from her body and exhaustion set in. Ashlyn decided she was glad Kyle left, because she was in no state to deal with the barrage of questions he no doubt had for her. She just needed time alone.

The blonde slowly slopped up the front steps and took a moment to squeeze any excess water from her clothes before entering the castle. Her damp feet squeaked against the smooth floor, as she had left her boots at the beach, completely forgetting to take them with her. At this point she was too tired to care.

She climbed the two flights of stairs to their bedroom hallway and saw Ali’s door was open just a crack. When she pushed the door open, she found the room was empty. It’s just as well she thought.

She headed to her room and immediately shut the door behind her, moving one of the large chairs in front of it and lodging the back up under the handle in an attempt to give herself as much privacy as possible. Slowly she peeled off her wet clothes one by one until they were piled in a puddle on the floor and she was completely naked. She let her hair down and squeezed out the excess water on to the already sopping wet pile, then pulled back the bed covers and climbed. She laid still, listening to her heart beat in her ears.

Ashlyn took a deep breath and started to cry.

She finally allowed herself to feel every emotion she had pushed down earlier, because if she had let them run their course in the moment, Ali would still be on the bottom of the ocean. She couldn’t stop replaying the image of the princess’s lifeless body in her arms. She almost lost her, and it was the most terrifying moment she had ever faced.

She wanted to be mad at Kyle for calling her up there. If he hadn’t, she would have still been with Ali, safely sitting in the sand.

She wanted to be mad at William too. There was no reason to put others in danger for the sake of a moment of fun.

She wanted to be mad at herself. If she had noticed the girl sooner, she could have told her to watch out and stay away from the edge.

She wanted to, but she couldn’t.

It was an accident. It could have been her that fell over the edge. Of course she knew how to swim.

Ash took a jagged breath and closed her eyes.

She saw Ali’s panicked expression.

The blonde shook the image from her head and sat up hugging her knees to her chest. She had only known the princess a few days, but seeing her lifeless body sinking to the bottom of the ocean hurt her like it was someone she had known her whole life.

No, it hurt worse.

She wiped at her tear stained cheeks and laid back down, curling up on her side. She closed her eyes and willed herself to drift off to sleep, fighting away the terrifying images that continued to replay in her head.

 

The sound of someone banging into the door startled Ashlyn awake. She looked over to the window to see the sun had already set. The door was slammed into a second time, prompting the blonde to respond.

“Who is it?” She called out, still groggy from her nap.

“It’s me, why is the door stuck?” She heard Kyle through the door as he proceeded to jiggle the handle.

“Hold on.” She replied, climbing out of bed and throwing on a clean tunic, not bothering to put herself together. She pulled the chair away from the door and opened it a crack. When she saw it was just Kyle she opened it all the way and let him in. She closed it as soon as he was in the room and replaced the chair.

“Really?” He raised an eyebrow at the blonde’s barricade.

“It worked didn’t it?” She sassed.

The prince rolled his eyes.

He made his way to the bed and perched himself at the foot.

“Okay spill blondie.”

Ash sighed and flopped face down on the mattress.

“What do you want to know?” She mumbled into the covers, not even knowing where to begin herself.

“Well you can start by explaining why you were dressed like a man when I met you.” He rested his chin on his hand and waited for the blonde to tell her story.

“Okay.” She took a deep breath, then sat up to look at the prince before starting.

“The reason why I was dressed like a man when we met was because that’s the only way I could survive.” He looked at her slightly confused so Ash went on. “There were a lot of problems in my family when I was little. My parents spent every cent drinking, and as a result, my brother and I were forced to find work to support ourselves.”

She could feel herself starting to shake as she had never told the truth to anyone before.

Kyle reached out to take her hand and offered a smile of encouragement, so she continued.

“So, we both went out every day to try to find work. My brother was taken in by some knight to be his apprentice, and faced with the choice to either stay and struggle just to get a hot meal, or live comfortably and be educated, he picked the latter.”

“So he just left you?” Kyle interrupted, protective of little Ashlyn.

“I really hated him at first, I did, but later I understood that he was just doing what was best for him. It wasn’t his fault we were in the situation we were in, so how could I expect him to stay behind and be miserable when he was given such an incredible opportunity?” She didn’t want the prince to think poorly of her brother.

If it were her, she probably would have done the same thing.

“Have you seen him since?” He backed off, realizing Ash did have a point.

The blonde simply shook her head and looked down.

There were moments here and there where she wondered what her brother was doing. If he became a knight himself, started a family, or ever came back for her.

“So what did you do?” Kyle gently pressed.

“I kept looking. I was only six, and no one wanted to take in a six year old, especially not a _girl._ I spent almost a year on the streets, taking any scraps I could find, begging for coin. I was barely surviving, and my parents kept drinking. I had nothing. No new clothes, no toys, no food. Eventually my one dress became so dirty and torn I had to wear the clothes my brother left behind. And that’s how it started.”

The prince nodded in understanding.

“Suddenly people took me seriously. They let me do little odd jobs for them, and paid me more than I had ever made begging on the streets. One day my father caught me changing into my disguise. I had never seen him so angry.” Hot tears started to well up in Ash’s eyes as she remembered.

Kyle gripped her hand tighter.

“He grabbed me by the arm and twisted it so hard I was sure it would break. And he said, ‘I didn’t raise you to dress like a ragr! You’re a disgrace to this family!’And he threw me out of the house. ‘If you ever come back here again, I’ll gore you like the little ragr you are.’” She took a few shallow breaths, attempting to calm herself down, the memory filling her with rage.

“Sorry. This is the first time I’ve ever said it out loud…” Ashlyn mumbled, looking away embarrassed by her past.

Kyle reached up and took her chin, turning her back to face him. “Don’t be sorry Ash. It’s not your fault. You didn’t deserve that.” He looked sincere.

Ashlyn nodded her head slowly and continued.

“So anyways, after he kicked me out, I slept on the streets, and kept looking for work dressed in my brother’s clothes. When it started to get cold, I learned how to pick locks just so I could get into the stables and keep warm with the animals. That’s how I ended up with my first real job. The owners found me asleep with their mare, and took pity on me so they decided to let me work for them in the stables. Eventually when I was older, I wanted to go off on my own. Get away from the place where people knew my story, well at least the homeless boy part, and start over.”

“And now you’re here.” Kyle gave her a big smile.

“And now I’m here.” She repeated, sending back a smile of her own.

Ashlyn took in a deep breath and held it for a second before releasing it. She felt better. It was nice not to have to carry the weight of her past alone.

“Thank you for telling me Ash.” Kyle scooted closer to give her a big hug.

“One more question.” He laughed pulling away.

“What’s your _real_ name?”

The blonde chuckled, she hadn’t really used her real name in years.

“It’s Ashlyn. Ashlyn Michelle Harris.”

“I like it.” Kyle nodded affirmatively.

They sat smiling at each other for a moment before Ashlyn spoke again.

“Can I ask you something? You don’t have to answer.” She didn’t want him to feel pressured since she had just shared her entire life story.

“Shoot.” He said, sitting up in anticipation.

“How did you know? About…yourself…” He cocked his head to the side, not quite following the blonde’s train of thought.

“How did you know you weren’t…you know, traditional.” She tried again, looking down at a thread she had pulled from the covers and fidgeted with it.

“Hmm…” he pursed his lips, trying to pinpoint a specific moment.

“I don’t really think there was any one moment that was a complete moment of clarity for me, but I think the one thing that sticks out in my mind would be the first ball.”

Ashlyn looked up, letting Kyle know she was listening.

“I guess before I kind of knew. I never really felt anything special for any girls that I had met, but I was particularly interested in a few boys. Of course I just thought it was because they were really great people and naturally I wanted to get to know them and be close with them. But the moment I really started to realize I wasn’t traditional was the day after the first ball.”

Ash nodded, willing the prince to go on.

“My parents had sat me down before, and told me it was time I started thinking about taking over the throne. And it was important that I took a wife. I say my parents but I mostly mean my father. Anyways, he told me it was important for the future king to be thinking about not only his rule, but how he would pass on his crown.”

“So basically they told you, you had to have kids?” Ashlyn jumped in, thinking she knew where he was going.

“Well yes, but that wasn’t what did it. They threw this incredible ball, with so much food and drink and dancing and everyone was having an amazing time. And they invited all of these other royal families, more specifically ones that had princesses ready for marriage, and they all came and I swear I must have danced with like twenty girls that night. But I didn’t feel anything for them. They were all very nice girls, but I didn’t feel that same draw to them like I had with those boys I mentioned earlier. The next day my father pulled me aside again, and asked if I had found any of the girls particularly beautiful, and I couldn’t think of a single one. That I think is when I really started to realize I wasn’t traditional.”

Kyle finished his story and Ashlyn nodded a quiet thank you.

“Why do you ask?” he looked to the blonde curiously.

“I uh…I was just curious.” She honestly didn’t know herself.

“Mhm.” Kyle nodded, looking at the girl suspiciously, before getting up and heading toward the door.

He pulled away the chair and had his hand on the handle when Ashlyn spoke again.

“Kyle?” He turned to see what the blonde needed.

“You didn’t tell Ali did you? About me?” She held her breath, worried that he would have already jumped at the chance to tell his sister.

He shook his head and smiled. “Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.”

And with that he left the room.

She thought back to the one part of her story she had left out. One more thing her father had said to her that night.

‘No one could ever love someone like _you_.’

She shook the words from her head and thought instead about what Kyle had just told her.

_The draw_

She stood from the bed and started pulling on clean clothes, re-wrapping her binding and putting up her hair under her cap again. Before she really knew what she was doing, she was knocking on Ali’s door.

 

“Come in.” Ali called out in a raspy voice, followed by a cough.

Ash cracked the door open and poked her head in to find the princess curled up under the covers with a book in her hands. She was met with her favorite smile, to which she couldn’t help but smile back. Ash stepped into the room and gently closed the door behind her.

“Hey.” She awkwardly stood just inside the room.

“Hey.” Ali mumbled back.

“I just wanted to see how you were doing.” Ash offered, rubbing the back of her neck nervously.

“My lungs burn but otherwise I feel fine.” Ali quietly responded, her throat clearly hurting as her words roughly came through.

She closed her book and patted the spot beside her.

The blonde hesitated for a moment before giving in and crossing to the empty side of the bed. She sat stiffly at the edge of the mattress, still not really sure why she was here, now sitting on Ali's bed.

She was nervous and it showed.

“I don’t bite.” Ali chuckled, causing a small coughing fit to rise.

Instinctively Ashlyn reached out to rub the struggling girl’s back until the episode had subsided. The brunette looked up at Ash and offered a small thank you. Ashlyn blushed and quickly pulled her hand back. The princess leaned back against her pillows, and Ashlyn moved beside her, being careful to keep their bodies from touching.

“What were you reading?” Ash picked up the book Ali had been reading and looked at the cover.

“It’s the story of Cupid and Psyche.”

Ash nodded in approval, even though she had no idea what the story was about.

“It’s one of my favorites.” Ali smiled, taking the book back from the blonde.

“Do you have a favorite book Ash?” Ali asked curiously.

“Uh, no I uh…I don’t… I don’t know how to read…” She looked away slightly embarrassed.

“Oh…” Ali responded quietly, forgetting Ash didn’t grow up in a noble’s household.

They sat in silence for a moment.

“I could teach you.” Ali spoke abruptly.

“hm?” The blonde turned back to the princess.

“To read. I could teach you…If you wanted of course…” Ali mumbled the last bit.

Ash couldn’t resist the adorably hopeful look on the brunette’s face.

“I’d like that.” She smiled, giving in.

“Really?” Ali’s eyes lit up.

The blonde nodded, her grin growing.

“How about Saturday?” the princess practically jumped for joy.

“Saturday it is.” Ash laughed at the excited girl.

Just then a clock in the hallway began chiming the hour.

“I should probably go…Princess needs her beauty sleep right?” Ali rolled her eyes as she chuckled at the blonde and gave her a playful shove off the bed.

Reluctantly Ash crossed the room back to the door. Just as she was about to turn the handle Ali’s voice stopped her.

“Wait Ash.” She squeaked.

 Ashlyn turned at the pitiful sound.

The princess climbed out of bed and made her way over to the blonde. She bit her lip as she came to stand a few inches in front of the blonde.

Ash held her breath with the brunette so close.

Ali stood on her tip toes and lightly kissed her hero on the cheek.

Ashlyn couldn’t stop the blood rushing to her face.

“Thank you for saving me.” The princess whispered in the blonde’s ear, sending shivers down her spine.

The brunette stepped back and smiled at the blushing woman.

“Good night Ash.”

“Good night Alex.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ragr is a gay slurr from medieval times  
> Also I love greek mythology and the story of Cupid and Psyche is a pretty good one, so you should go read it!


	10. Lucky Shot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to update sooner but my boss had me working crazy long hours this week in a heat wave so I was completely exhausted by the time I got home. Hope you enjoy this one! Thank you again for all of your support!

That night Ashlyn couldn’t sleep. She kept thinking about the way the princess whispered in her ear and the sensation of her soft lips on Ash’s cheek. Every time she thought about it, she brought her fingers to the spot and touched it, reminding herself it wasn’t a dream.

The blonde was already up and dressed by the time Kyle came to knock on her door. She opened it by the third knock and was met with the prince’s very surprised face.

“Good morninggggg” She sang mocking his usual greeting.

“Well well, someone’s in a good mood this morning.” He commented on the blonde’s cheery demeanor.

Ashlyn pushed past him and headed toward the stairwell.

“Did something happen last night?” He asked with a smirk, following behind the woman who was practically skipping down the stairs.

When she got to the bottom step she whipped around and gave the prince a smug smile. “I don’t know what you’re talking.”

He just laughed as she used his own tactic against him. The pair continued down to the dining room.

 

Kyle quirked an eyebrow at the blonde as she whistled mindlessly stacking her breakfast plate. She looked up when she noticed he was watching her.

“What?” She asked, confused why he was giving her that look.

“You’re whistling.” He stated.

“And?” She quirked her own eyebrow.

“It’s annoying.”

“Hmm…taste of your own medicine.” She winked at the older Krieger who just scoffed.

Satisfied with her rebuttal, she took her usual breakfast spot and dug in.

Ali entered the dining room, this time wearing a dress. Ash looked up from her plate and grinned dopily at the girl who grinned back before taking her seat. Kyle looked between the pair and just shook his head before returning to his meal.

Once again, Ali was the first to leave, giving Kyle a kiss on the cheek before coming around behind him to bend down and kiss the blonde’s cheek as well.

Ashlyn dropped her fork and the color drained from her face before it returned, beet red, at the unexpected affection from the princess.

The prince snickered as Ali left the room, but Ash was too shocked to do anything about it.

 

After the incident at breakfast, the blonde kept quiet for the rest of the morning.

Kyle led the silent woman to their lesson for the day, which was located right next to the garden. As they approached Ashlyn noticed a couple large circles with alternating colored rings had been painted on several stacked hay bales. Looked like more combat. Great. She groaned in anticipation.

“What’s wrong blondie?” Kyle turned to the distraught woman.

“The last time I worked on combat with you, I ended up covered in bruises.” She pouted, remembering her painful first day.

Kyle chuckled at the blonde and patted her on the back. “Don’t worry, you’re not the target today.”

“Good morning Kyle!” A rather old man came to greet them whom she assumed was the prince’s archery tutor.

The two shook hands and the old man turned to Ash.

“I’m Richard, and you must be Ash. I heard you pulled off one hell of a rescue yesterday. I hope you’ve been rewarded for your heroics!” He roughly took the blondes hand and shook, patting her on the shoulder.

“Oh don’t worry, Ali’s expressed her gratitude _immensely_.” Kyle smirked.

Ash punched him on the shoulder harder than usual. Richard chuckled at the pair, then led them over to a rack of bows and arrows.

“So Ash, have you ever shot a bow before? Pierre told me you were new to fencing.” The old man picked up a hard strip of leather with dangling straps and held it out for the blonde to take.

Ash took the foreign object and just stared at it, not even attempting to pretend like she knew what she was doing.

“I’ll take that as a no.” Richard chuckled again.

He came to the blonde’s aid and showed her how to tie the brace to the inside of her forearm. Then he picked out a long wooden bow and handed it to the girl.

“Kyle, would you care to demonstrate?”

The prince nodded, picking up his own bow and showing Ash how to stand and hold the weapon.

“Okay, now I want you to use just your index, middle, and ring finger to pull the string back to the corner of your mouth, but don’t let go yet.” Richard looked on as she did as instructed.

Ash struggled to get a full draw on the bow as her arms were still rather sore from the day prior.

“Good! Now I’m going to show you how to nock an arrow.” The old man showed her a long straight stick, tipped with a sharp metal point, flanked by three feathers.

“This,” He pointed to one feather that was slightly darker than the rest, “Is your odd feather, and you always want to have it facing away from the bow. Now watch how I put it on the bow.”

He had Ashlyn keep her grip on the bow and wedged the string into a notch at the feathered end of the arrow, then rested the tip on her thumb.

“Okay I think I got it.” She stepped away and held the bow up, pointing the arrow tip at a target.

She pulled back the string only have the arrow rotate out and fall off.

“Nevermind.” She mumbled lowering the weapon.

Richard and Kyle both laughed at her.

“Here,” The prince nocked his own arrow and showed the blonde how to hold the shaft in place just between the thumb and the grip before he fired off a shot.

The arrow whizzed straight into the center of the target.

Looked easy enough, she thought before nocking another arrow, this time holding it in place, and drawing back as far as she could. She let go and the arrow shot directly into the ground, just in front of the target.

Okay. Fine. It’s just a warm up she thought.

The blonde rolled her shoulders and stretched her neck to either side before nocking another arrow as the prince looked on in amusement.

She drew back again and concentrated on where the point was aiming. She lifted the point about an inch over the intended target and let go. This time the arrow flew straight into the bottom of the target.

Kyle clapped and cheered dramatically. Ashlyn quickly turned to glare at him.

“Try aiming a little higher. You’ll get used to the sight the more you shoot.” Richard instructed, handing the blonde another arrow.

She tried again, looking down the arrow to find the target, then moving the tip up a couple more inches.

Just as she was about to release the arrow, two hands grabbed either side of her waist.

“Don’t miss!” the princess whispered in her ear.

Ashlyn jumped, causing her to shoot up in the air. She slowly turned around and glared at the brunette.

Kyle was rolling on the ground in hysterics and Richard was holding his belly, howling with laughter.

Ali just smirked at the blonde before turning toward the garden.

“You’re all assholes!” Ash exclaimed, crossing her arms.

Once Kyle was able to pull himself together, they continued with the lesson.

For the rest of the morning into the afternoon the pair silently practiced on the target. After many questionable shots, Ashlyn finally found the sweet spot a few inches above the tip, greatly improving her aim and putting in close competition with the athletic brunette.

“I have an idea.” Kyle grinned mischievously at the blonde.

Ashlyn sent an arrow whizzing straight into the middle ring before acknowledging the prince.

“Why do I feel like it’s an awful idea?” She narrowed her eyes, skeptical that any idea Kyle had could be a good one.

“How do you feel about a little friendly competition?” His grin widened.

“I’m listening.” She folded her arms and waited for the details. She always loved a good competition.

“Ten arrows each, bullseye is 4 points, then three, two, one.” He gestured toward the painted rings with an arrow. “Most points win.”

“What do I get when I win?” Ash questioned smugly.

Kyle’s mischievous grin returned as he responded.

“Winner gets to shoot an apple off the losers head.”

“haha no.” The blonde turned back to her target practice.

“What, are you _scared_?” Kyle teased, poking her in the ribs with the end of the arrow.

“NO! Stop it!” Ashlyn swatted the prince away.

“Then come on, let’s go.” He crossed his arms, challenging the blonde. She hated being called out, but she couldn’t help but think of the consequences the last time she let Kyle use her as a training dummy. Only this time the weapon was deadly.

“Fine.” Her pride won.

Kyle held out his hand triumphantly, which Ashlyn gripped and shook before turning all business.

She immediately nocked an arrow and drew back as hard as she could. She focused in on the arrow tip and released, sending an arrow just inside the bullseye.

“Your move, _your majesty_.” She sassed as she bowed dramatically.

“Lucky shot. Move.” Kyle shoved the smug blonde to the side to take his position.

He sent off a shot just to the left of Ashlyn’s hitting the inner circle.

“You going easy on me Kyle?” Ash teased as she took her spot once again.

The two battled it out for the rest of the competition, Kyle eventually taking over the lead by one point.

It was down to the final shot, and Ash made sure to take her time to set it up, praying to the gods she wouldn’t have to play the prince’s target once again. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before drawing back slowly and focusing down the arrow.

She knew it was a good one the second she released, sending it straight into the dead center of the bullseye.

The smug blonde slowly lowered her bow and turned to the prince.

“Try and match _that_ shot.”

Kyle motioned impatiently for her to step aside before taking his sweet time to set up the shot as well.

Ash’s mouth fell open in disbelief as she watched Kyle’s arrow cut through the air, meeting the end of her last arrow and splitting it perfectly down the middle.

She would have been impressed if she hadn’t just witnessed her own personal death sentence.

The prince sauntered over to her and offered his hand again, which she slapped away before turning to take her position for execution.

“Don’t forget your apple!” Kyle smirked, tossing the fruit to one very pissed blonde.

She caught it, rolling her eyes, then placed it on her head.

“If you hit me I swear I’ll kill you.” She gritted through her teeth.

Chalk it up to her stupid pride. She knew this was a terrible idea, but of course with a little teasing she was at the wrong end of the arrow. Kyle’s arrow. She wondered if some of the other valet’s had actually died at the prince’s hand rather than quit. Or maybe they quit when he told them he wanted to try to shoot an apple off their head. Either way, here she was, staring death in the face.

“You ready?” The prince shouted, nocking an arrow and drawing back slowly.

“Sure.”

Absolutely not.

As Kyle focused his shot, Ash held her breath and closed her eyes, praying for a quick death.

“KYLE!”

The sound of Ali screaming at her brother prompted the blonde to open her eyes, which grew wide in horror as she saw an arrow flying directly at her face. She immediately dodged to the side, but not before the tip grazed the side of her cheek.

“OH MY GOD, ASH!” the princess screamed as she ran toward the blonde.

Ash reached up to touch the part of her face that was now stinging only to find a fair amount of blood had already started flowing.

Ali was immediately at the injured blonde’s side. Seeing Ash hadn’t fallen over dead, she turned back to her brother in a fit of rage.

“KYLE I SWEAR TO GOD! YOU ALMOST KILLED THE ONLY VALET WHO ACTAULLY WANTED TO STAY! ARE YOU STUPID?!”

“Well if you hadn’t distracted me I wouldn’t have missed.” He shrugged nonchalantly.

The princess growled in frustration, then picked up the apple and chucked it at her brother.

“OWE!” Kyle exclaimed as the apple hit him square in the face.

“SERVES YOU RIGHT!” She yelled before turning her attention back to the blonde.

“Ash are you okay? Let me see.” Her tone immediately changed to a soothing one as she held Ashlyn’s face and moved the injured woman’s hand away so she could asses the wound.

As soon as she did, fresh red ran down the blonde’s cheek, prompting her to quickly replace the hand.

“Okay keep your hand there, I’m bringing you back to the castle.” Ali gently gripped Ash’s free wrist and led her away from the scene.

“I swear I wouldn’t have missed!” Kyle yelled after the pair as they made their way to the castle.

 

“Kyle is such an _idiot_!” The princess mumbled as they ascended the front steps, exasperated from the prince’s deadly stunt.

“And you!” Ali abruptly stopped and whirled around to face the blonde.

“What were you _thinking_?!” She scolded the woman as she smacked her on the arm.

“What? I-“ Ash started to explain but was cut off by the furious princess.

“NO I don’t want to HEAR it! You’re both idiots. Come on.” Once she was done berating the blonde she continued to lead her to the kitchen.

“Sit.” Ali commanded, pointing to a chair pulled up to one of the large tables.

Ashlyn obliged, slightly terrified of the intense brunette. She watched as the princess filled up a small bucket with water and grabbed some shreds of cloth from a cabinet just above the pump. When Ali turned back toward her, She immediately looked down at her lap, not wanting to meet the brunette’s intense gaze. She felt so stupid for letting Kyle convince her to play his twisted game.

“Look at me.” The princess demanded, this time with a sweetness that made the blonde’s heart melt.

She lifted her head to find the girl watching her with concern. Now she felt awful for putting Ali through this. To hell with her face, the poor princess must have been scared out of her mind seeing Kyle draw his bow on the blonde.

Ali dipped one of the linens into the bucket and gently removed Ash’s hand from the wound. She carefully cleaned the blood that had dried on the blonde’s cheek, then held the damp cloth to the gash.

“You scared me half to death.” The princess spoke, attempting to hide her fear with a smile.

“I’m sorry…”Ash looked down again as she apologized.

“Hey.” Ali gently lifted the blonde’s chin so she could look into her eyes.

“I guess we’re even.” She stated, a light laugh escaping her smiling lips.

“I guess so.” Ash smiled back.

She wished they could stay like this forever, with Ali’s soft touch on her face and her beautiful smile sending butterflies all through her stomach.

After a few minutes Ali pulled back the cloth to inspect the cleaned wound. Ashlyn attempted to hide her disappointment at the loss of contact.

“Looks like it’s stopped bleeding. You’re lucky it’s not much worse.” The brunette gave her a stern look before getting up to clean the bloodied rag.

“I guess I have fast reflexes.” Ash shrugged.

“Mmm not fast enough.” Ali smirked over her shoulder at the blonde.

The pair looked up as the kitchen door suddenly opened.

“Oh, my apologies. I was about to start preparing dinner. I didn’t know anyone was in here.” The interrupting servant curtseyed as she realized the kitchen was already occupied by the princess and the blonde.

“That’s okay, we were just about to leave anyway. You can go about your normal business.” Ali nodded toward the woman who curtseyed again before fully entering the room.

As she did, she noticed the gash on Ashlyn’s face followed by the stained rag the princess was now ringing out.

“Are you okay? What happened?” She stepped closer to the blonde.

“Kyle got to him.” Ali turned to roll her eyes at the woman who responded with a knowing look.

“Shame it happened to such a handsome face.” The servant winked at Ash before going about her dinner prep.

The blonde turned away, a blush rising in her cheeks.

“Shame.” The brunette repeated, eyeing the red faced woman.

The princess finished cleaning up her first aid items and motioned for Ash to follow her out of the room.

“Watch out for that one.” Ali warned as they walked back through the castle to the front door.

“What? Why?” Ash was confused; she seemed like a lovely woman.

“Just watch out okay?” The princess responded, clearly irritated.

Ash decided to leave it at that, not wanting to unleash the full fury of the brunette again. They made their way back to the archery lesson where Kyle had lined up a bunch of apples atop the targets.

“You okay?” He asked as the pair approached.

“Yeah I’m fine.” She assured him as he looked a little worried.

“Good, I wanted to show you I _would not_ have missed if it weren’t for Ali’s big mouth.” He accused his sister who simply stuck her tongue out.

Ashlyn rolled her eyes at the prince, then gestured for him to carry on with his demonstration.

She watched as he nocked another arrow and lined up his shot. The arrow flew directly into the target just below the apple.

“Wouldn’t miss my _ass_.” The blonde scoffed, picking up her own bow and getting into position to try her own shot.

She sent the arrow soaring just to the left of the apple and into a tree a few steps behind.

Kyle laughed as the blonde’s confidence turned to annoyance.

“At least I wouldn’t have KILLED you.” She glared at the prince.

Ali rolled her eyes at the both of them before taking the bow from Ashlyn’s hand and pushing her aside.

“What are y-“ Ash watched as the brunette swiftly nocked an arrow and shot in one motion.

The blonde’s mouth fell open as the arrow bore a perfect hole straight through the apple, flying so fast it didn’t even knock it to the ground.

“You’re both terrible shots.” Ali stated with a smug smile.

She shoved the bow into the blonde’s chest and winked before walking away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I actually researched medieval archery and I learned that they would shoot with the arrow on the outside of their grip rather than inside like modern archers do. That probably doesn't mean anything to you but I grew up doing archery so I found it interesting lol.


	11. I don't know you, but I want to

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh I'm so sorry guys. The past couple of weeks have been a shit show. Everything happens so muchhhh. First my boss was working me like crazy so I was dead tired and then suddenly we had to pack up and move in like two days cause our landlord needed us to move out of our apartment so he relocated us to this old ass house that's a 70's porno house I swear. And on top of all of that, my back up drive on my computer corrupted so it's super temperamental and I've been fighting with that. My new laptop should be here in like two weeks so that's cool but yeah. Anyways, here's a super short one and i apologize if it's garbage since i'm running on very little sleep and coffee. I want to get more up soon for you but it depends on if my computer decides to cooperate. I'm not abandoning I promise!!!!!

Dinner turned out to be much less eventful than the day had been, with the trio eating their meal in typical silence.

Ashlyn took this opportunity to steal glances at the princess every once in a while, still processing the new information she had learned about the girl who continued to surprise the blonde in ways she never expected.

Not only was Ali a strong independent goddess with an adorable mumble and radiant smile, but she was also an incredibly intense warrior with a deadly shot and a heart melting sweetness. Ash was starting to have a hard time keeping up with the brunette’s many personality traits, but still, she wanted to know more. She was sure there was even more to Alexandra Krieger buried deep inside that gorgeous head of hers, and she wanted to discover everything the brunette had to offer.

Ashlyn’s thoughts were interrupted when the royal siblings began to push away from the table. She hadn’t even realized that her plate was gone she was so deep inside her own head.

Kyle made a show of stretching as he stood up.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted.” He yawned before heading out of the dining room, Ali and Ash following behind as the three made their way up to bed.

Ash really wasn’t that tired, in fact she felt strangely exhilarated. Maybe it was the aftershock of almost dying she thought.

“Goodnight.” Kyle yawned again before going to his room and shutting the door, leaving the blonde and the princess alone in the hallway.

Instead of going to her own room, Ash walked the brunette to her door, only a few feet away. The pair stood for a moment in silence.

“Goodnight Ash.” Ali laughed at the blonde’s chivalry, and obvious reluctance to go to bed.

Ashlyn watched as the princess disappeared behind her own door, leaving a sad Ash all alone in the dim hallway. After pouting at the closed door for a second, she slowly turned and sulked to her own door, only to pause with her hand on the handle.

Or maybe it was Ali that had her so amped.

“Fuck it.” She muttered to herself before turning back toward the princess’s door.

She hesitated for a moment before knocking lightly.

Seconds later the door opened, and Ali raised an eyebrow at the blonde who had reappeared.

“Did you need something?”

“I don’t want to go to bed yet.” Ash complained, earning an eye roll from the brunette, who hadn’t even had the chance to get ready for bed herself.

Ali closed the door, leaving an offended blonde alone in the hallway once again. She was about to return to her room when the door opened again, this time, the princess dawning her night gown.

“Come on.” Ali held the door wide and gestured for Ash to enter, who obliged happily.

She practically skipped to the bed and sat down, beaming back at the princess who only rolled her eyes again.

Ash noticed there was a book laid out on the bed and picked it up.

“Is this the same one as last night?” She asked, turning the cover to check.

“No it’s a different one. It’s Plato’s Symposium. Also a favorite of mine.” She grinned at the blonde, climbing into the bed.

“Are there any books you don’t like?” Ash chuckled in response.

“I’m not sure.” Ali thought for a moment, then took the book from the blonde to start reading.

Ash slowly leaned in to get a better look at the tiny script neatly arranged on the pages.

Feeling the blonde’s presence getting ever closer, Ali stopped and turned to look at the curious woman.

“Would you like me to read to you?” She asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“Only if you want to.” Ash shrugged, happy just to be in the princess’s company.

Ali cleared her throat softly before taking a breath and continuing aloud.

“In the first place, let me treat of the nature of man and what has happened to it; for the original human nature was not like the present, but different. The sexes were not two as they are now, but originally three in number; there was man, woman, and the union of the two, having a name corresponding to this double nature, which had once a real existence, but is now lost, and the word ‘Androgynous’ is only preserved as a term of reproach.” She paused to make sure the blonde was listening.

Ash nodded for her to continue. This might be her new favorite thing she thought. Getting to sit and listen to the princess’s soft mumble was rather relaxing, and Ash settled back into the pillows to get the most out of it.

“In the second place, the primeval man was round, his back and sides forming a circle; and he had four hands and four feet, one head with two faces, looking opposite ways, set on a round neck and precisely alike; also four ears, two privy members, and the remainder to correspond. He could walk upright as men now do, backwards or forwards as he pleased, and he could also roll over and over at a great pace, turning on his four hands and four feet, eight in all, like tumblers going over and over with their legs in the air; this was when he wanted to run fast.”

“Those creatures sound absolutely terrifying.” Ashlyn interrupted.

“Shh, that’s not the point.” Ali hushed the disruptive blonde then continued. Ash found the brunette’s infatuation with the story endearing.

“Now the sexes were three, and such as I have described them; because the sun, moon, and earth are three;-and the man was originally the child of the sun, the woman of the earth, and the man-woman of the moon, which is made up of sun and earth, and they were all round and moved round and round: like their parents. Terrible was their might and strength, and the thoughts of their hearts were great, and they made an attack upon the gods; of them is told the tale of Otys and Ephialtes who, as Homer says, dared to scale heaven, and would have laid hands upon the gods. Doubt reigned in the celestial councils. Should they kill them and annihilate the race with thunderbolts, as they had done the giants, then there would be an end of the sacrifices and worship which men offered to them; but, on the other hand, the gods could not suffer their insolence to be unrestrained.”

“Sounds like quite the predicament.” Ash added. Ali shot her a look to stop interrupting.

“Sorry…” The blonde apologized.

“At last, after a good deal of reflection, Zeus discovered a way. He said: ‘Methinks I have a plan which will humble their pride and improve their manners; men shall continue to exist, but I will cut them in two and then they will be diminished in strength and increased in numbers; this will have the advantage of making them more profitable to us. They shall walk upright on two legs, and if they continue insolent and will not be quiet, I will split them again and they shall hop about on a single leg…’"

Ash watched as Ali continued to read aloud, admiring the way the soft dimples on either side of her mouth changed in depth each time she spoke. The princess’s eyes darted back and forth as she went through the script on the page, completely focused on the words.

Smart.

Ash realized she forgot to add smart to the long list of surprising personality traits the brunette had.

A smile crept across the blonde’s lips the longer Ali didn’t notice Ash watching her. Yeah, this was her new favorite thing.

“After the division the two parts of man, each desiring his other half, came together, and throwing their arms about one another, entwined in mutual embraces, longing to grow into one, they were on the point of dying from hunger and self-neglect, because they did not like to do anything apart…” Eventually Ali’s soft mumbling grew faint until it completely faded, the blonde slowly drifting off to sleep.

 

It was several hours later when she woke, a single candle burned to the very end of the wick the only thing keeping the room from complete darkness. It took her a moment to remember where she was, but she was quickly reminded when she realized a warm weight pressing down on her arm had put the limb to sleep.

Ali had clearly fallen asleep as well; the book now sandwiched between the two as the princess had rolled over, claiming the blonde’s arm for herself.

“Alex.” Ash gently shook the girl, attempting to wake her so she could free her numb limb. Ali just mumbled and gripped the blonde tighter.

“Alex.” Ash tried again, laughing as the girl clung to her, now nuzzling her face against Ashlyn’s shoulder.

She felt her heart twinge as she watched the girl sleeping peacefully beside her. She didn’t want to leave, but she knew she wouldn’t hear the end of it if Kyle found them together in the morning.

Reluctantly she carefully untangled a sound asleep Ali from her and slipped off the bed. The princess pouted at the loss of contact and reached out, patting the space the blonde had just been. A peaceful smile returned as she found a pillow and hugged it tight. Ash attempted to stifle her laughter at the ridiculous sight. The princess is also a sleep cuddler she mentally added to her list.

Ashlyn leaned over the content girl to place a light kiss on her forehead.

“Goodnight, Alex.” She whispered in Ali’s ear before quietly heading back to her own room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so i'm sorry this is super short but I wanted to get at least something up for you guys. But yeah this particular part of Plato's symposium is one of my favorite stories. I just love the whole soulmate thing and that the Greeks were so gayyyyyy.  
> Thank you all for the support, I really appreciate it!


	12. New hair who dis?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UGHHHHHHH I'm so sorry guys. It's like a fic writing curse or something. You start posting and then your life just falls apart lol. Good news: I have a new laptop and we're moving into a new apartment tomorrow. Bad news: I have to start looking for and applying to a new job since we moved away from my old job. I swear I'm going to finish this story, it may be painful, it may take months and months, but I'm determined!!!! Thank you for being so patient!!!!

“Oh Aaaaaaaashhhh.”   
  
The sound of metal sliding against metal and a sing songy voice pulled Ashlyn from her sleep. She knit her eyebrows in confusion before opening one eye to investigate, only to be met with a pair of scissors inches from her face and Kyle’s sinister smile.   
  
“Ahhhhh whyyy!” She screamed as both eyes shot open and she scrambled to back away, pulling the covers up to protect her face.   
  
Kyle immediately burst into hysterics, falling onto the bed.   
  
“YOU SHOULD…HAVE SEEN…YOUR FACE!” He was barely able to get out between laughter.   
  
Ashlyn peeked out from under the blanket to shoot him a glare, then rolled over and pulled the covers completely over her head.   
  
“Go away! You are far too energetic in the morning.” she complained.   
  
The prince took a moment to compose himself before he crawled over the grumpy blonde and laid on the bed next to her.   
  
“Alright I’m sorry, I just couldn’t resist!”   
  
Ash didn’t respond, opting to stay cocooned and away from the obnoxious prince.   
  
Refusing the blonde's silence, Kyle attempted to pull back the covers.   
  
“Ash...just…let…me…” He struggled against the cranky woman’s grip, then gave up with an annoyed sigh.   
  
“Ash I have an idea and I need you to let me get to your head.”   
  
“What?” Ash peeked out from under the blankets again, this time confusion clear across her face.   
  
The prince brandished the scissors again and cocked his head to the side, making cutting motions in the air.   
  
“If you don’t want your hair to give you away again, it’s gotta go.” He explained.   
  
The blonde slowly brought a hand to her head and pulled at a strand of her long hair. She honestly had never considered cutting her hair. It never posed a problem. Well. At least until now.   
  
“fine.” Ash sighed as she threw back the covers and climbed out of bed.   
  
Kyle squealed with delight, jumping up to lead the blonde to the mirror. He pulled up a chair and gently pushed the woman into it, immediately getting to work.   
  
“Ugh you’re gonna look so handsome once I’m done with you.” Kyle boasted with a wink as he worked his fingers through the long blonde locks, pulling apart the tangles that had formed in Ashlyn’s sleep.   
  
She watched the prince’s reflection with amusement as he focused intensely on the task at hand, his tongue poking through his lips in concentration.   
  
“Here hold this.” He instructed, holding a tuft of the blonde’s hair in his fist.   
  
Ashlyn reached up and held it in place as Kyle moved on to separating the remaining hair into sections. He was a bit rough at first, tugging on the strands and measuring where to cut, but after a while his touch softened and Ashlyn couldn't help but nod off at the soothing sensation.   
  
  
“I am a geeeeniussss.”   
  
Kyle’s proclamation startled the blonde from her nap.   
  
“Are you done?” She asked with a yawn as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.   
  
The prince nodded with a huge grin, then stepped aside to let the woman examine his handy work.   
  
Ash took in the complete stranger reflected in the exact same spot. She rubbed her eyes again, leaning in to get a better look in the mirror.   
  
“Wha…”Her mouth fell open as she was left speechless.   
  
The long blonde locks she had known her whole life were had be replaced by short silky strands that lazily fell around her soft features. She reached up and pushed the pieces back as she ran her fingers through the hair, the missing length feeling rather strange in her hand. She turned to look at Kyle who was just standing there, beaming proudly at their reflections in the mirror.   
  
“Do you like it?” He asked, confident the answer would be yes.   
  
“I…” She searched for words as she continued to run her fingers through her new look.   
  
“I look good.” She admitted with surprise. She had no idea she could look so handsome.   
  
“Not as good as me though.” The prince leaned over to fix his own hair in the mirror.   
  
“Well, I’ll see you later, I’ve got a hot tutor I don’t want to keep waiting.” He patted Ash on the shoulder before bouncing happily out of the room.   
  
Ashlyn sat unmoving, still running her fingers through her hair, attempting to re-familiarize herself with every strand.   
  
It felt good. _She_ felt good.   
  
“Today is a great day.” She declared to herself before getting dressed.   
  
  
  
As she made her way down through the castle, she noticed it seemed particularly silent this morning. She suspected the beautiful weather might have something to do with the absence of life as she descended the large staircase to the entrance hall and found the large double doors had been propped open, allowing a warm breeze to blow through. She took a deep breath of the fresh air before peeking into the dining room, only to find the servants had already cleared the usual breakfast spread laid out for the royal siblings. Ash pouted at the empty room until she noticed a plate had been left out, piled high with her usual breakfast pickings. Delighted at this discovery, she happily made her way to her spot to enjoy her meal in peace.   
  
As she sat in the silence, her mind began to drift to the night before.   
  
Ali's soft mumble replayed in her head, bringing a slight smile to the blonde's face. She thought back to the way the princess's eyes scanned through the pages with such intensity, the dimples on her cheeks as she read aloud, the movement of her soft lips.   
  
“Can I take this?”   
  
Ash snapped back to reality as a servant had appeared to clear her plate.   
  
“Uh yeah...thanks...” The blonde couldn't help but blush, embarrassed to be caught day-dreaming yet again.   
  
The servant nodded slowly before returning to the kitchen with the dish, leaving Ash alone again. She groaned to herself as she pressed her forehead against the table. She was not a fan of how often the princess occupied her thoughts, especially when she got caught.   
  
“Ughhhhhhhh okay.” Ash sighed before getting up to exit the dining room.   
  
Maybe physical distraction is a good idea today she thought to herself as she made her way to the weaponry. She stood in the doorway as she scanned the room for the chest of fencing equipment, hoping to brush up on her skill while simultaneously keeping her mind off of one very distracting princess. Once located, she pulled out a pair of gloves and a foil, then made her way back through the castle and out the front doors.   
  
  
  
Ashlyn stepped out onto the steps and shielded her eyes from the intense sun as she scanned the grounds for the perfect training spot. Her eyes fell to the edge of the courtyard where a large shady tree stood, a few limbs sticking out as if it were some sort of creature reaching out for the blonde. Before stepping off, Ash took one more scan of the grounds, this time to make sure no one would be watching her practice. Seeing the coast was clear, the blonde pulled on her gloves and made her way to her fencing partner for the day.   
  
Ash crouched as she neared the tree, readying her foil.   
  
“En garde!” She shouted, immediately shaking her head at how ridiculous she must have looked, yelling at a tree.   
  
She skipped the rest of the formalities and went straight into lunging at the ominous looking oak.   
  
  
  
“Poor thing never stood a chance.”   
  
“AHHHH!” The foil flew from the blonde's grip as Ali appeared from behind the tree.   
  
“Oh my god. Give me heart attack why don’t you.” Ashlyn clutched her chest and closed her eyes attempting to steady herself.   
  
The smaller woman chuckled and Ash opened her eyes to see the princess now leaning against the side of the tree with her arms crossed.   
  
“What are you doing here?” The blonde asked breathlessly.   
  
“It was getting a bit too hot for the horses so we ended early today.” Ali cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes slightly at the startled woman.   
  
“Did you do something different with your hair?” Ali asked, stepping closer to push back a strand that had fallen into Ashlyn’s face. Ash’s breath hitched as the brunette’s hand ran through her hair, her heart practically beat out of her chest.   
  
“I’ve just never seen you without your cap.” The princess stated with a smile.   
  
“Yeah uh…Kyle wanted to cut it this morning, so I let him.” Ash explained, fighting to keep her voice steady.   
  
“Of course he did.” Ali let out a light laugh.   
  
“So what did this tree do to deserve such abuse?” She asked with another laugh, running a hand over the many holes Ashlyn had stabbed into the bark.   
  
“Well my fencing partner is a little busy with a certain tutor at the moment, so I had to compromise.” The blonde shrugged.   
  
“Mmm.” Ali hummed as she walked to where the foil hand landed, picking the weapon up to examine it.   
  
“I could teach you.” Ash offered as the smaller woman turned it over in her hands.   
  
“You want to teach me to fence?” Ali quirked an eyebrow at the blonde.   
  
“Well you know, I’ve gotten pretty good so…” Ash shrugged, a new found confidence pushing through.   
  
The princess smirked at the cocky woman. “Okay. Go ahead.”   
  
“Well first, you’re holding it wrong.” Ashlyn pointed at the way Ali was gripping the handle.   
  
“Oh am I?” Ali asked innocently.   
  
“Here, you want to hold it like this.” The blonde stepped to the princess’s side and curled her hand over Ali’s on the weapon.   
  
The brunette’s hand was soft and warm in Ashlyn’s hold, and the contact sent sparks of electricity up the blonde’s arm.   
  
She wondered if Ali felt it too as the princess turned to smile up at her. “Now what?”   
  
She could feel her confidence waiver as that radiant smiled began to melt her.   
  
“Uh, now you want to get into the correct stance.” Ash pushed through, placing her other hand on Ali’s waist, guiding the smaller woman into the correct positioning.   
  
“Is this right?” Ali asked, crouching into the ‘en garde’ stance she had just been shown.   
  
“Perfect.” Ash smiled, before stepping away.   
  
“Now go ahead, give it a go.” The blonde gestured toward the tree.   
  
Ali raised an eyebrow at Ash before turning toward the tree.   
  
“Like this?” The princess asked, suddenly turning to lunge at the blonde.   
  
Ashlyn gulped, eyes wide in surprise as the tip of the foil hit her square in the chest. She could feel her heart pounding through her ribs to meet the cool metal.   
  
Ali smirked as the blonde stared back in shock. She slowly walked into the taller woman, keeping the tip pressed firmly against Ashlyn’s ribs. Ash held her breath as the pair now stood chest to chest, the foil still between them. Ali's breath sent a shiver down the blonde's spine as she leaned up to frozen woman's ear.   
  
“Sorry, I’m a bit competitive.” The brunette whispered smugly, before stepping to the side, bumping shoulders with the blonde as she walked away.   
  
The foil clattered to the ground as Ash stood frozen, jaw dropped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EEEEEEEEEEEEE I love me some smug Ali ;) Hopefully I can get up another chapter soon. Probably jinxed it by typing that but oh wellllllll. It'll be up eventually!


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